Teasing the Strawberry-Flavored Baby Alpha (ABO, GL) - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

After Lu Ningwan entered the classroom, she sat next to Yang Liqin in the second-to-last row. She had a conflict with Liu Jiahao, and Wang Ping thought it was better to have them sit apart, which would be good for both children.

When Liu Jiahao saw Lu Ningwan come in, he glared at her. Even now, he couldn’t understand why Lu Ningwan reacted so strongly, insisting he apologize and even threatening to call the police. This made him lose face in front of the teacher, and when he got home, his mother lectured him for a long time, saying Lu Ningwan wasn’t someone to mess with and telling him to avoid her in the future.

Lu Ningwan wasn’t afraid of him and glared right back. She sat at her desk and started reading, but after a while, she sighed. She was thinking about whether to tell her uncle about wanting to buy study guides for higher grades that evening, but she was afraid of not getting the answer she wanted, feeling uneasy inside.

In Shen Tian’s class, the last lesson of the morning was math. The teacher had the students count small sticks in their hands. When the bell finally rang for dismissal, the students couldn’t wait to rush home after the teacher’s instruction.

Shen Tian wasn’t in a hurry at noon. She was mainly eager for the afternoon dismissal because her mother and mommy would be home, and she could ask about Little Sister Lu!

At noon, when school let out, Lu Ningwan was hungry. Because of the alarm clock issue in the morning, she hadn’t eaten anything, and her stomach was now making gurgling noises from time to time. Lu Ningwan sighed, knowing that if her stomach kept growling on the ride home, Lu Deyu and Lu Zixuan would probably tease her again.

Sure enough, no matter how much Lu Ningwan tried to hold it in, her hungry stomach still made noises. In the enclosed space of the car, the gurgling sounds were heard clearly by her uncle’s family.

Lu Deyu burst out laughing, “Lu Ningwan, what’s that noise? It’s hilarious. That’s what you get for not eating.”

“Yeah, Brother, she’s so funny, starving and still not eating…” The siblings in the back of the car mocked Lu Ningwan.

Zhang Ruohua didn’t miss the chance to add a jab, “You should stop acting like a spoiled princess. Skipping meals at mealtime? People at school might think we’re mistreating you. Look, you’re doing it again, not even responding when spoken to.”

Lu Ningwan’s small hands tightly gripped the hem of her clothes. If she responded now, it might start another argument, with the whole family against her alone. There was no point in replying.

Perhaps they got tired of scolding Lu Ningwan in the car. Lunch went by peacefully. After filling her stomach, Lu Ningwan, as usual, went to the kitchen, stood on a stool, and washed her little bowl clean. When she came out, her aunt was clearing the table, and her uncle called her over.

Lu Ming took a bag out of his backpack and handed it to Lu Ningwan, “Ningwan, this is a new alarm clock. Throw out that broken one. Deyu, Zixuan, you’re not allowed to take your sister’s things this time.”

“Got it,” Lu Deyu agreed on the surface, but immediately turned to whisper to his sister, “What kind of sister is she? That’s ridiculous.”

“Yeah, I don’t have a sister,” Lu Zixuan echoed.

Lu Ningwan looked at the item in the bag but didn’t take it. “Uncle, I’m fine with my little rabbit alarm clock. I don’t want this one.”

“Hey, if you don’t want it, that’s perfect. Zixuan and I need an alarm clock,” Lu Deyu said, quickly snatching the bag from Lu Ming’s hand. The two siblings happily ran back to their room.

Seeing that Lu Ningwan genuinely didn’t want it, Lu Ming didn’t stop them. He had bought it for her, and if she didn’t want it, it wasn’t his fault.

Lu Ningwan looked at Lu Ming nervously. Her aunt was in the kitchen, Lu Deyu and Lu Zixuan were in their room looking at the alarm clock, leaving just her and Lu Ming in the living room. She clenched her fists, mustered her courage, and said to Lu Ming, “Uncle, I already know everything in the first-grade textbooks. I don’t want an alarm clock. Could you please buy me some third- or fourth-grade study guides? I’ll definitely get first place and make you and Aunt proud.”

Lu Ming was wary of this. In his view, children were greedy and never satisfied. If you were slightly nice to them, they’d take advantage. Sure enough, he bought her an alarm clock, and now she wanted something else? Lu Ningwan was only in first grade, and if she developed this habit, what would happen later? Lu Ming had a double standard: his own children could do whatever, but his brother’s child couldn’t be spoiled.

Frowning, Lu Ming said to Lu Ningwan, “It’s not that I won’t buy them for you, but you’re only in first grade. Just focus on learning first-grade material. Don’t keep thinking about this and that. Alright, go take a nap.”

Lu Ningwan’s small fists turned red from clenching. This was her first time asking someone for something, and she failed. She spoke nicely to her uncle, but he refused to buy the books for her.

A flood of emotions surged through Lu Ningwan. She felt wronged and embarrassed for being rejected after asking for help. Her heart twisted painfully, and she didn’t know why she felt this way.

No one came to comfort her or care for her. In this house, her uncle was supposed to be her closest bl00d relative, but clearly, that didn’t matter. Lu Ningwan decided she would never ask anyone for anything again—it only brought her humiliation.

During her nap, the scenes of being rejected and mocked in the car replayed over and over in her mind. She didn’t want to see these embarrassing moments, but they grew clearer. When Lu Ningwan woke up, her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat.

She ran to the bathroom to wash her face and silently followed the family to school.

The school was small, with only six classes. In the afternoon, Shen Tian’s class and Lu Ningwan’s class had PE at the same time. After the two PE teachers taught everyone how to line up, they let the students have free time, as long as they didn’t run around or fight.

Shen Tian had already spotted Lu Ningwan. As soon as the teacher dismissed them, she brought Li Mengmeng and Huang Shuai to find her. “Little Sister Lu, let’s play together!”

Yang Liqin was standing next to Lu Ningwan, and Shen Tian gave her a sweet smile. Thus, their little group of five was formed.

The five children stood in a row and played a game of “carrot squat.” Most of them got it wrong, but they still had a blast. Even Lu Ningwan briefly forgot her unhappiness and played joyfully like a six-year-old.

Some classmates from Lu Ningwan’s class saw how much fun they were having and wanted to join, but since they weren’t close to her usually, they just watched from the side, too shy to speak up.

Shen Tian noticed they wanted to play and asked, “Classmates, want to join? It’ll be more fun with more people.”

“Sure!” Bai Xiaoqin, seeing Shen Tian’s invitation, immediately pulled her two friends, Li Na and Zheng Tongjun, to join. The kids laughed and chatted, quickly becoming a lively group. More and more children joined in.

Lu Ningwan usually didn’t play much in class or talk with others, so many classmates thought she was aloof. Now that they were playing together, they realized she wasn’t cold at all, and they became friends. Only a few kids from Class 6 who were close to Liu Jiahao didn’t join, though their glances showed they wanted to.

Soon, Shen Tian’s group not only bonded with Lu Ningwan’s new friend Yang Liqin but also got close to many students from Class 1. When the bell rang and the PE teachers had everyone line up to dismiss, the kids from both classes were reluctant to part, making plans to play together next time.

Back in class, Bai Xiaoqin brought her two friends to find Lu Ningwan. “Lu Ningwan, let’s play together from now on. We can do homework and discuss questions together too.”

Lu Ningwan nodded and smiled, “Sure, let’s do it.” She used to dislike lively scenes, thinking playing with kids was childish. Now she felt the joy of making friends—at least she didn’t feel so alone.

Liu Jiahao, sitting in the back, rolled his eyes dramatically. Before this PE class, he was far more popular than Lu Ningwan. Now that many kids were playing with her, he felt even more resentful.

However, in Class 2, because of Lu Deyu and Lu Zixuan, students didn’t like Lu Ningwan much. The siblings constantly complained about her in class, saying she had no parents, lived at their house, and acted arrogantly, refusing to do this or that, always sulking like a mute.

Kids often believe rumors when repeated enough. At first, some didn’t buy it, but with Lu Deyu and Lu Zixuan’s constant chatter, the lies became truth. Class 2 students had a poor impression of Lu Ningwan. Some curious ones even went to Class 6’s door to see what she looked like, then reported back, spreading more gossip. Over time, nearly everyone in Class 2 knew Lu Ningwan, but not in a good way.

Shen Tian had a great time playing with Lu Ningwan during PE and was happy on the way home, but she didn’t forget what happened when she saw Lu Ningwan that afternoon. Little Sister Lu didn’t seem to be doing well at her uncle’s house.

Sitting in her car seat, Shen Tian’s big eyes darted around. She looked at her mother beside her, then at her mommy driving, pursed her lips, and asked, “Mother, Mommy, I think Little Sister Lu is unhappy. Her cousin and cousin’s sister are so annoying.”