Stepmom Alpha’s Guide to Raising Kids - Chapter 4

In the past, Lu Luozhu had never been willing to mark Qi Zi, so her recent initiative felt extremely suspicious to Qi Zi.

Qi Zi held Ningning, who was snuggling into her, and looked up at Lu Luozhu.

“What exactly do you want?”

Lu Luozhu was momentarily dazed by the depth of Qi Zi’s dark eyes, her heart skipping a beat for no reason.

Her expression froze for a second before she smiled and said, “Of course, I want Teacher Qi to unfreeze my card.”

Qi Zi scoffed coldly, set the child down, and walked away without another word.

Not a chance.

Left standing alone, Lu Luozhu watched Qi Zi’s retreating figure, which seemed slightly more disheveled than usual, as if even sharing the same space with her was unbearable.

Lu Luozhu: “?”

The little one began climbing like a kitten up a tree.

The little one climbed onto Lu Luozhu.

The little one climbed onto Lu Luozhu’s shoulder.

Lu Luozhu: “…”

A muffled thud echoed faintly from the second floor—the sound of a door being slammed shut.

Lu Luozhu: “Does your mother really hate me that much?”

The little one: ?

The little one didn’t understand adult matters, but she knew how to nudge her head against Lu Luozhu’s.

Kitty cuddles, rawr.

In the bathroom.

Qi Zi leaned against the sink with a cold expression. The reflection in the mirror no longer showed the aloof and sharp-faced young actress from before. Instead, her face was flushed, layer after layer of pink spreading down to her neck.

Outrageous!

She knew full well she was an alpha, yet she had to stand so close.

Deliberately attacking her with pheromones, deliberately trying to trigger her heat.

Scheming, wicked!

Qi Zi splashed cold water on her face, droplets dripping from the tips of her lashes.

The water blurred the aggression in her eyes, softening her features into something warm and gentle, reminiscent of the serene beauty of Jiangnan.

Her gaze shifted, captivating in its allure.

Her breath came out hot, carrying the faint scent of pear blossoms that seeped from the small frog-shaped scent patch on the back of her neck.

Qi Zi dug her nails into the patch and tore it off, then flung it into the trash with a glare. The cartoon frog seemed to mock her, its big eyes bulging, round cheeks puffed up.

Qi Zi: “.”

Just as detestable as Lu Luozhu.

She slapped a fresh, normal scent patch over her swollen gland, pressing it down mercilessly.

Her legs gave way, nearly sending her tumbling in the bathroom.

Tch.

That night, the lights in Qi Zi’s bedroom went out unusually early.

Lu Luozhu sat cross-legged on the bed, the little one asleep beside her.

Ningning had fashioned a small nest out of a blanket, curling into a tiny ball inside, only her head peeking out.

“Mommy sleeps. I like sleeping with Mommy.”

Ningning didn’t know why she liked her mommy now, only that she felt different from before.

Lu Luozhu opened a document on her laptop, filled with dense timestamps from the villa’s surveillance footage.

Lu Luozhu: “You sleep first.”

With that, she turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness.

She quietly placed a luxury-brand ring—originally a gift from Qi Zi to the original owner—on the nightstand.

Just as Lu Luozhu finished setting up all the evidence, including a discreetly installed camera, her phone buzzed with a notification from her manager, Qian Qianqian.

Qian Qianqian: The show’s crew will arrive for a live broadcast tomorrow. Be on your best behavior. The other families have already bought trending spots—you’re on your own.

After sending this message, Qian Qianqian didn’t expect Lu Luozhu to reply. She knew Lu Luozhu had always disliked children and had no interest in participating in any parenting variety shows. She was merely trying to make her presence known to Qi Zi.

How hypocritical and boring.

Qian Qianqian’s phone buzzed. She opened it to see a message from Lu Luozhu’s chat window.

Lu Luozhu: When will the payment be deposited into my account?

Qian Qianqian sneered inwardly—what a shallow idiot.

Then came Lu Luozhu’s second message: “You’re not buying trending hashtags for me and the kid? So Qi’s studio is already in such dire financial straits? It would indeed be inappropriate for me to demand payment now. Maybe I should just sell Ningning’s ¥20,000-per-can formula on the second-hand market—bulk discounts available to ease the urgent situation.”

Qian Qianqian stared at the message in disbelief. ?????

What’s with the sarcasm?

Don’t you understand why we’re not buying you trending hashtags?

It’s not about promotion—it’s about inviting nationwide criticism.

Flinging her phone onto the sofa, Qian Qianqian grabbed her hair in frustration. Lu Luozhu, that suspected child-abusing stepmother, couldn’t withstand any public scrutiny. If she hadn’t pestered Qi Zi to join this show, the studio would never have given her any exposure!

Having sent her message, Lu Luozhu ignored the dozen unread replies from Qian Qianqian.

She placed her phone by the pillow, cradled her sprawled-out child, and closed her eyes to rest.

Since developing heart problems, Lu Luozhu had grown increasingly serene—practicing vegetarianism and Buddhist chanting daily, never uttering a single swear word.

…

The next morning, the production crew waited outside the villa.

At the breakfast table, Qi Zi finished her vegetable juice and gently set the glass on its coaster. Her slender frame sat upright, eyes downcast, radiating an unmistakable “keep away” aura.

Lu Luozhu smoothly handed her a handkerchief. “Come home for dinner tonight. I’ll cook for you.”

Qi Zi’s fingers paused as she took the handkerchief imbued with Lu Luozhu’s pheromones to dab her lips.

Her pheromone-starved body reacted instantly to the bergamot scent—veins bulging on her hands, eyes deliberately avoiding Lu Luozhu.

Last night’s unpleasant memories resurfaced.

She’d gasped like a stranded fish, desperate for air yet unable to get enough oxygen.

Even after exhaustion forced sleep, her body remained parched.

“You can cook?”

“Yes. I know actors need to watch their figures. I’ll prepare light dishes with minimal oil and salt.”

Like an obedient canary tending to her patron, Lu Luozhu fastened earrings onto Qi Zi, fingers brushing the omega’s burning earlobes—watching the pearl-like flesh transform into peach-red.

As the live broadcast crew approached outside, Qi Zi sat frozen from the waist up.

With her earlobe held between fingers, the golden earring slid through the piercing with a slight weight.

“Qian Qianqian says you’re short on money,” Qi Zi spoke stiffly, barely aware of her own words through the alpha pheromones enveloping her. “It’s not that we won’t buy trending tags—your problematic history makes promotion counterproductive.”

“I understand. The studio isn’t facing financial difficulties—I’m just the embarrassment.”

“You’re quite self-aware.”

The golden earring now adorned the crimson earlobe as Qi Zi stared fixedly at a silver fork on the table, as if trying to bore holes through its engraved patterns with her gaze.

“Lu Luozhu, you have two minutes to mark me.”

Lu Luozhu froze momentarily. Before she could react, Qi Zi pressed her head down, bringing her lips to the back of Lu’s neck. At this moment, Qi Zi’s scent gland wasn’t covered with a patch.

She tentatively licked it.

“Does our little one know how clingy her mother is with me?”

Qi Zi: “You—! Shut up and do your job properly.”

……

The live stream audience stared intently at the tightly shut door.

“Is Lu Luozhu throwing her weight around again??? What’s with not opening the door for the production crew???”

“Everyone, just move along. Lu Luozhu is such a bore.”

“Seriously, why can a problematic celebrity like Lu Luozhu still debut? Has everyone forgotten how she used to abuse children?”

“What’s this tea about??”

“Previously, a passerby’s video showed bruises on Ningning’s inner arms and thighs. You don’t get those from just falling down.”

“The door’s opening!!!”

From the live stream’s perspective, the door cracked open slightly, followed by reddened fingertips pressing against the frame to push it wider.

Qi Zi wore a face mask, a silk scarf around her neck, and a baseball cap on her head.

“My apologies for the delay. The crew may enter now.”

With that, Qi Zi quickly walked toward the van, breaking into a run for the last few steps.

“Is it just me, or does my wife’s voice sound strange today?”

“Is it just me, or did my wife seem to stumble when getting into the car?”

“Is it just me, or does my wife look flushed all over?”

“Casual viewer here—why do people call QZ ‘wife’?”

“To the above: Doesn’t ‘Qi Zi’ sound like ‘wife’ in Chinese? Damn it, how could my wife be blind enough to fall for Lu Luozhu?”

The cameraman entered with the camera rolling. Lu Luozhu’s long hair cascaded down as she lounged in a white silk nightgown with frayed edges. From afar, she resembled a lazy fox spirit swaying its tail.

In her hand was a budding red rose. When she noticed the camera, she offered a gentle, graceful smile.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. As compensation, this flower is for the audience who’ve always supported me.”

Live stream: “.”

“Wake up! Nobody actually supports you!”

The host who came along accepted the rose. Though she’d held some prejudice against Lu Luozhu, the moment she took the flower, she found herself unable to meet Lu’s gaze.

So… mesmerizing.

A beautiful yet wicked stepmother!

Host: “Ningning still isn’t up? I didn’t expect her to sleep in.”

The tutor stood nearby. When the camera turned toward her, her expression stiffened.

“Children love to sleep. I’ll go wake her.”

Tutor Li’s gaze at Lu Luozhu carried clear hostility and disdain.

“Normally Ningning wakes up early, but she always sleeps late when with Madam. Even though Madam isn’t Ningning’s birth mother, you should still pay more attention.”

Tutor Li’s words threw Lu Luozhu into the spotlight. Everyone present turned to look at her as the tutor sternly headed upstairs, clearly intending to wake the child.

“Let me put on my tinfoil hat—is Lu Luozhu trying to ruin the kid?”

“What good intentions could a stepmother possibly have?”

“Though honestly, my three-year-old niece does nothing but eat and sleep all day. Sleeping in is pretty normal for kids.”

“If it were anyone else, sure. But with Lu Luozhu, I can only suspect this woman is up to no good again.”

Facing the camera and the barrage of scrolling comments, Lu Luozhu remained unruffled.

“If a three-year-old can wake up on time every day without being called, I’d suggest a kid with that kind of discipline skip compulsory education and go straight to the college entrance exams. With that level of drive, they could succeed at anything.”

The host couldn’t hold back a laugh.

That sharp tongue of hers was something else.

Live chat: ???

Meanwhile, in the car, Qi Zi, fingers tracing the bite mark on her scent gland, “…”

Exhausted, she pulled Lu Luozhu’s jacket tighter around her shoulders. The faint alpha pheromones soothed her omega instincts, easing the unease in her body.

Yet, despite the physical comfort, Qi Zi scoffed coldly, “Harsh.”

The live feed shifted to Teacher Li, who was heading upstairs to wake Ningning.

Compared to Lu Luozhu, the audience was far more invested in the little one. The moment they saw Ningning sprawled out on the bed, the chat exploded with:

“Let auntie give you kisses!”

“Sweetie, what color of sack do you prefer?”

Teacher Li wasn’t from the entertainment industry and lacked the usual awareness of cameras. She noticed the live feed following her from a distance but didn’t react.

Her fingers brushed against the ring on the nightstand—then swiftly palmed it.

With practiced ease, she slipped the ring into her pocket before bending down to wake Ningning.

The ring had been a gift from Qi Zi to Lu Luozhu. After Lu Luozhu sold off so many presents before, Qi Zi had long stopped trusting her.

After a few failed attempts to rouse the child, Ningning merely rolled over, hugging Lu Luozhu’s pillow tightly.

Burrowing into it like a kitten—🥺

A flicker of impatience crossed Teacher Li’s eyes. Without a trace, she pinched Ningning’s waist.

The child jolted awake instantly, bursting into loud wails.

Netizens watching the entire scene unfold in HD: ???!