Stepmom Alpha’s Guide to Raising Kids - Chapter 44

Ningning carried a large pile of bottles, trailed by a group of little kids.

The plastic bottles were stuffed into mesh bags, dragging long behind her. Some kind passersby handed her their half-finished drink bottles, to which Ningning would politely say, “Thank you!”

Then, with a dozen little kids in tow, Ningning realized her mother had disappeared.

Her big, grown-up mother—gone without a trace.

Ningning and the kids stood bewildered in the middle of the pedestrian street.

Their wide eyes brimmed with confusion.

How could such a big mother just vanish?

Ningning looked up at the host, whose lips twitched.

How was the host supposed to explain to Ningning that her mother had sold her body for money?

……

In a luxury hotel.

The filming crew was stopped at the end of the hallway.

“Sorry, no unauthorized personnel allowed.”

The live-stream camera could only capture the crimson-carpeted hotel corridor, its walls adorned with priceless oil paintings, while luxury cars came and went outside.

The tightly shut door barred any prying eyes.

Inside the room.

Lu Luozhu’s hands were tied to the headboard as she smiled lazily at the omega sitting astride her.

“Listen, sweetheart, this wasn’t part of the service I signed up for.”

“If you’re gonna sell yourself, at least act like it. You’re out here singing for cash—who are you trying to fool with that innocent act?”

Lu Luozhu’s fingers, skilled at playing the guitar, curled slightly, bound by a thin leather strap.

Yet she showed no trace of distress, her lips curled in an elusive smirk.

No matter what the omega did, she seemed endlessly indulgent.

In Lu Luozhu’s obsidian-dark eyes, Qi Zi saw her own reflection—wearing a baseball cap.

On the side of that cap was Qi Zi’s flamboyant signature.

Not just flamboyant, but also exorbitantly expensive.

The omega’s nails—kept just long enough—traced over the alpha’s waist, drawing out a stifled gasp.

“You’ve upset me.”

Qi Zi leaned down, gripping Lu Luozhu’s collar and forcing her to arch her neck, submitting completely.

The slight sting on her wrists didn’t bring discomfort—instead, it awakened something darker in the alpha.

“Care to elaborate?”

The dim hotel room simmered with tension, thick with the scent of pheromones.

Lu Luozhu’s breathing grew ragged, her pulse hammering against her ribs.

Bit by bit, her composed facade began to crack.

Her teeth ached to sink into something.

The woman on top of her smelled too good.

So sweet. So tempting. She wanted to bite, to crush that snow-white pear blossom in her palm.

Too delicious.

A smoldering fire burned in Lu Luozhu’s gaze. A flimsy belt couldn’t possibly restrain an alpha’s instincts.

“Why didn’t you use the money I gave you?”

Qi Zi’s voice carried a hint of grievance beneath the complaint.

“I gave you so much on your birthday. You even have my supplementary card. Why didn’t you use it?”

By the end, her tone had sharpened into accusation.

Lu Luozhu couldn’t process the words—all she saw were those lips parting and closing, glistening wetly.

How utterly adorable.

How could anyone be this cute?

In the next second, the questioning movie star found herself pinned against the bedsheets—switching from the dominant to the submissive role.

The slender belt snapped easily, but Lu Luozhu couldn’t bring herself to ruin Qi Zi’s beloved accessory. Instead, she deftly unfastened the buckle, securing the intact belt around Qi Zi’s wrists.

The hunter had now become the prey.

“The money you gave me was for Ningning’s education fund—how could I possibly use it?”

The alpha’s voice was hoarse, uttering words that didn’t fit her “kept woman” persona.

Qi Zi was momentarily speechless. “You—”

Why bring up the child at a time like this?!

The sudden press of lips against the scent gland at the nape of her neck made Qi Zi’s lashes flutter violently.

Half her face was pressed into the pillow, hands bound behind her back—the acclaimed actress now resembled a fish stranded on land.

Pitiful.

Lu Luozhu, who had been stiff from the cold outside, gradually warmed up, her fingers tracing lightly along Qi Zi’s spine.

“Alright, now it’s work time.”

And so, the alpha who sold both her skills and her body entered her shift.

Time for some manual labor.

Except this time, the labor was… different.

Her employer was demanding something far more outrageous.

Lu Luozhu, usually unflappable, chewed on an ice cube, the crunching sound sharp between her teeth.

“That’s not happening. Please restrain yourself.”

“I can pay extra. You’re already selling yourself—what’s one more thing?”

The haughty movie star spoke as if bestowing a favor. “Consider it a reward.”

Lu Luozhu froze, then let out a soundless laugh, pressing a hand to her throbbing temple. She had no idea how things had escalated to this point.

She wasn’t opposed, but… she had no experience.

A trembling, honeyed voice murmured beside her:

“Mind your teeth, or I’ll have them pulled.”

The threat would’ve been more convincing if not for the tearful whimper that followed.

“Fine. Since you insist, it seems I have no room to refuse.”

Resigned, Lu Luozhu knelt by the bed.

The pheromones were overwhelming.

Sweet. Delicious.

For the first time, Lu Luozhu discovered something even more intoxicating than biting a scent gland.

……

By the time the storm settled,

Qi Zi still hadn’t gotten a clear answer as to why Lu Luozhu refused to use her money.

Was it the alpha’s pride at play?

Her body limp with exhaustion, Qi Zi was eventually carried to the bathroom by the very “entertainer” she’d hired, scrubbed clean.

“Dry off properly before getting back in bed,” the long-suffering alpha sighed. “Never mind, I’ll do it.”

Qi Zi, too drained to protest, managed to fish out a contract from her purse and toss it at her.

“Got you a decent endorsement deal.”

“Thank you for your generosity, madam.”

Curled up like a silkworm cocoon, only her tousled head peeked out from the blankets.

That alpha was too much—she was spent.

Yet Qi Zi fought sleep, bleary eyes peering from the covers as she watched Lu Luozhu examine the contract by the sliver of light through the curtains.

Heartless woman.

All she cared about was money.

“You—go play the guitar for me.”

Lu Luozhu looked up from the papers. “Alright.”

The guitar rested against her front, covering the body wrapped only in a towel.

The guitar pick had quietly fallen to the ground with the strumming motion.

Qi Zi’s ears flushed red.

Unaware of the microphone capturing his guitar playing, the alpha plucked the strings as Lu Luozhu hummed a lullaby to soothe a child.

“Sleep, sleep, my dear baby, tomorrow will be a fine day…”

…

In the “Baby Go Forward” livestream room:

“Can someone explain why the camera’s showing a five-star hotel?”

“Is this seriously Lu Luozhu’s money-making method???”

“Guys I screenshot it – that client’s profile looks just like my wife.”

“LMAO, you call this a client?”

“Why does their perfectly legitimate relationship either involve climbing walls or selling talents (please give us more)?”

“ZhuZi shippers are feasting today.”

“Though it’s not officially confirmed, that mysterious ‘staff member’ really resembles my wife.”

“What are you all talking about? I don’t get it.”

“I thought the work experience for kids would be handing out flyers or selling fruit.”

“Actual work experience – collecting plastic bottles, selling talents.”

“Won’t Lu Luozhu corrupt these children????”

“But technically, isn’t Lu Luozhu making a living through genuine talent??”

Many confused viewers entered the stream only to see an empty hotel corridor, exiting in puzzlement before returning.

After over two hours, a door at the end of the corridor opened.

Lu Luozhu emerged wearing a familiar cashmere coat, his expression faintly satisfied.

“Still live?”

Hands in pockets, he smiled as he approached the host. “My work’s done.”

The host: “……”

After a long pause, the host mechanically recited: “May I ask how much you earned today?”

A visible smile spread across Lu Luozhu’s face as he waved a contract.

“Money’s vulgar. What I share with my clients transcends monetary value. We artists live by our talents – finding kindred spirits is the real reward.”

The host saw clearly –

It was a brand endorsement contract.

Money might be vulgar, but contracts were acceptable.

The host: “.”

The professionally trained host was speechless.

Lu Luozhu smiled casually and returned to the orphanage by car.

The driver was Qian Qianqian.

Her eyes were wide, a finger cookie dangling from her lips like a cigarette, tomato sauce staining where the ember would be.

“Thanks for waiting,” Lu Luozhu said from the passenger seat, “I brought you hotel souvenirs.”

Qian Qianqian watched as he tossed two standard hotel chocolates into her car’s storage compartment.

“You know you’re trending again?” The omega sometimes wanted to crack open Lu Luozhu’s head to see what was inside.

As Qian Qianqian nearly hit the curb with sudden acceleration, Lu Luozhu broke into a sweat.

“Let me check,” he said, pulling out his phone. “We’re all just working people – no need for such hostility.”

Qian Qianqian, fresh from PR meetings: “.”

Starting to talk nonsense again.

Lu Luozhu: “But you sell your talent more, while I sell my body more.”

Qian Qianqian: “.”

Sometimes, I really want to perish together with Lu Luozhu.

Lu Luozhu’s name was trending high on the hot search list. She smiled, unfazed. Compared to something as controversial as trending topics, Lu Luozhu cared more about the endorsement Qi Zi had just secured for her—a niche foreign brand of kitchen knives.

Not very well-known, but among cooking enthusiasts, it was considered a must-have.

Who would have thought that her last paid promotion had only earned her two thousand yuan, while this one had a base price of over four million, not including the sales commission.

Enough to cover all her repayments and the six million in donations.

The alpha, saturated with excessive omega pheromones, lazily narrowed her eyes.

Her fingers idly scrolled through her phone screen.

Lu Luozhu’s gaze automatically skipped over the abusive messages from the Lu family and Madam Liang’s demands for her to return home.

In the end, her attention settled on the message from Xu Huaqing.

“Make sure to return the money from this afternoon.”

Yes, most of the money Lu Luozhu had donated to the orphanage was borrowed.

Lu Luozhu: “Deduct it from this year’s dividends. I heard you’re expanding into City C’s real estate market. Without the Lu family, you’ll make a killing, right? Hurry up and thank me.”

The reply was an “OK” emoji.

Xu Huaqing sent one last message: “No leads yet on the information you asked me to dig up about Love Orphanage. But one thing’s certain—the director back then was involved in shady dealings. Some of the children adopted by wealthy families gradually disappeared. They might have died or been sent abroad.”

Two minutes later, Xu Huaqing added:

“You came from Love Orphanage too. Pretty impressive. Apart from you and Qi Zi, whose records are traceable, the other kids either vanished without a trace or died of illness not long after.”

Lu Luozhu frowned at the last line. “Got it.”

The car drove along the main road. Qian Qianqian noticed Lu Luozhu in the passenger seat was still frowning, lost in thought.

Sometimes, Qian Qianqian couldn’t help but feel that Lu Luozhu carried an invisible burden—

Whether it was her less-than-healthy heart or her inscrutable silence, none of it suggested she was just a good-for-nothing.

How strange.

The car stopped at the orphanage gate. Lu Luozhu hummed a tune as she got out, her face bright with a smile again.

“Mom, I picked up twenty bottles! My little sister found thirteen, and…”

Ningning’s eyes sparkled as she waved a cola bottle, jumping excitedly in place.

A trace of brown liquid remained in the bottle, the plastic glinting in the sunlight, more translucent than any luxury item in the world.

“Our Ningning is amazing.”

Lu Luozhu scooped the child up and tossed her into the air, drawing envious looks from the other little ones.

Not playing favorites, Lu Luozhu took turns lifting each child who had collected bottles.

An Song, who had drawn the short straw to teach the kids that day, asked, “…You took them out to pick up trash?”

Lu Luozhu: “The market price is better in the capital—used drink bottles sell for 2.2 yuan per pound. In smaller towns, they’d probably only fetch 1.8 yuan. I estimate I can make about 20 yuan today.”

An Song: “…”

That wasn’t meant as praise!

An Song gave Lu Luozhu a strange look. “What about you? Did you go bottle collecting too?”

Bai Rui, who was tying up the children’s hair, and Bai Mianmian, who was handing out hair ties, both turned to look at Lu Luozhu. “I want to collect bottles too… QAQ”

Bai Rui: “…”

Lu Luozhu: “I… I went busking.”

Though she ended up selling more than just her singing at a five-star hotel.

An Song, oblivious, nodded half-heartedly. “Well, that’s one way to make a living.”

In the “Baby Go Forward” livestream chat:

“Damn, this is too much.”

“What kind of ‘way to make a living’ is that?!”

“Please, Lu Luozhu, I’m begging you to stop talking before this show gets banned.”

“I guarantee this part will be cut from the official broadcast.”

“I used to worry that Lu Luozhu and Qi Zi’s strained relationship would leave Ningning deprived of love at home. Seems I worried for nothing.”

…

Lu Luozhu found a lounge chair in the orphanage courtyard to sunbathe. The midday sunlight was just right, warm and comforting.

Nearby, Ningning diligently flattened all the plastic bottles, her movements growing more and more skilled.

Little Molly approached. “I have lots of sisters. Only people who aren’t good at studying collect trash.”

Ningning nodded vigorously. “That’s right!”

Molly tilted her head in confusion.

Ningning said very seriously, “My biggest dream is to collect trash. My mom said if her mother ever kicks her out, she’ll have to survive by collecting trash too.”

Sometimes Qianqian really wanted to kneel and beg Lu Luozhu and the kids to stop saying such things.

The director glanced at the top-tier agent beside him, who was nervously nibbling on finger biscuits.

“Want a cigarette?”

Qianqian’s hand, holding a tomato sauce-dipped biscuit, trembled slightly.

“No, thanks. I don’t smoke.”

She then ate the biscuit, her mental state appearing a little too serene.

Director: “Should I prepare an appearance fee for Teacher Qi? Want to draft a contract?”

Without Qi Zi, his show wouldn’t be this popular.

Qianqian: “…I’ll have to check with Teacher Qi.”

She didn’t dare mention that Lu Luozhu and Qi Zi would be divorcing in less than a year. Once they split, all their current seemingly intimate interactions would become future tabloid fodder.

Qi Zi didn’t need to walk the so-called “controversial fame” path.

…

In the five-star hotel.

Qi Zi curled up in the soft bedding, her face mostly buried in the pillow.

Her phone, placed beside the pillow, played the livestream footage.

Qi Zi stared blankly at the ceiling, her body still tingling from Lu Luozhu’s recent… attentions.

That usually infuriating tongue had been surprisingly soft.

A little rough, though.

Suddenly, Qi Zi didn’t hate Lu Luozhu’s mouth anymore.

It had its uses.

Covering her face with the back of her hand, Qi Zi unconsciously rubbed her knees together when Lu Luozhu’s voice came through the livestream.

What if it wasn’t just the tongue?

Qi Zi had never been a promiscuous person—if anything, she leaned toward the conservative side.

Having seen too many disgusting people and situations in the entertainment industry, some memories alone were enough to make her nauseous.

For someone beautiful but without connections, surviving in the entertainment industry is nearly impossible.

One must sacrifice far more than others just to scrape together a sliver of attention and exposure.

From this perspective, Qi Zi is undoubtedly fortunate.

She climbed her way up from the bottom, seizing every opportunity within reach.

Yet precisely because of this, Qi Zi values her body above all else. As an omega with an incurable hormonal disorder, she faces erratic heats without the ability to conceive—making her the perfect lover.

Qi Zi had built towering walls around her heart, only allowing Lu Luozhu to bite her neck during her most unbearable moments. But this time, she invited Lu Luozhu to go even further.

Now, a crack had formed in those walls.

Her fingers drifted beneath the sheets almost against her will.

What a disgraceful body.

She loathed Lu Luozhu—knew full well that all that tenderness was just an act.

But could anyone fake it so convincingly?

Qi Zi wasn’t sure.

Perhaps… perhaps there was a shred of sincerity beneath Lu Luozhu’s pretense.

Pushing her luck, Qi Zi wondered if Lu Luozhu might still cherish their childhood bond.

She stubbornly wanted to tangle herself with Lu Luozhu in the public eye. Even if it was all for money, as long as the audience believed they were a couple, Lu Luozhu would have no choice but to keep pretending to be madly in love.

In this relationship, Qi Zi would always hold the reins.

The young actress had plenty of tricks up her sleeve.

Gritting her teeth, she forced her aching body out of bed, dressed piece by piece, then pulled on a pink cap and white mask before peeking out the door.

No one.

She could slip away.

A familiar voice came from the doorway. “Stop looking. The coast is clear.”

Qi Zi: !

“Just me,” Qian Qianqian said.

Qi Zi exhaled, her expression cooling back into unshakable composure.

“Thanks. I’ll give you a bonus at month’s end.”

Qian Qianqian: “…How generous of you, Teacher Qi.”

Qi Zi shot her agent a puzzled glance. Lately, the woman’s tone had grown eerily similar to Lu Luozhu’s—

Sarcastic.

Biting.

Inside the black sedan, Qian Qianqian spoke up. “I tracked down the former director of Loving Heart Orphanage. She’s sixty now, living in the neighboring city. No idea why you wanted this.”

She added, “Oh, and someone wants to meet you.”

“Who?”

Lounging in the passenger seat, Qi Zi fished two chocolates from the car’s storage compartment.

The sweetness melted on her tongue, carrying what might’ve been a hint of bergamot.

The little fox’s eyes narrowed in pleasure.

Delicious.

They arrived at an unremarkable teahouse.

Inside the private room waited a plain-faced beta in a white button-down and slacks. Her expression remained neutral upon seeing Qi Zi—unlike anyone who’d worked in entertainment.

“Hello,” the woman offered a frail smile. “We’ve never met. I used to be Lu Shengtian’s secretary.”

Qi Zi blinked, mentally placing the name.

“Barring unforeseen circumstances,” the woman continued, “your former employer will face no less than five years in prison.”

Of course, this was all contingent on Lu Shengtian being able to come out.

The pale-faced secretary nodded slightly before him. “Someone asked me to give you these documents.”

The secretary slid a file across to Qi Zi.

The first page contained a two-inch photo of a person—a female omega with black-framed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. She had a scholarly, gentle appearance and a warm, friendly smile.

The document meticulously detailed all the investigative experiences and interpersonal relationships of Tao You in the period before her death, along with a background check on the truck driver who collided with her vehicle.

It brought the truth of that year’s incident to light.

Without her, Qi Zi wouldn’t have been able to attend university smoothly.

At that time, she was desperately short of money. As repayment, Qi Zi raised the newborn child of the benefactor, who was still in an incubator.

Secretary: “That person said Lu Shengtian wouldn’t just face five years in prison. Lu Shengtian is suspected of intentional homicide and will be sentenced for much longer.”

The secretary didn’t know who sent her the anonymous message. At the end of the email, there was only one line: “Evil will be met with evil retribution.”

Qi Zi stared at the document for a long time, unable to snap out of it. Only after the secretary left did she suddenly come to her senses.

Who would investigate a three-year-old case?

It didn’t seem like her enemy. Instead, it felt as if someone out there knew what was on her mind and deliberately sent her this piece of good news.

How strange.