Teasing the Strawberry-Flavored Baby Alpha (ABO, GL) - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Shen Tian and Shen Xian sent Lu Ningwan back to Lu Ming together. When Lu Ming saw Shen Xian, his eyes lit up. In contrast, Lu Deyu and Lu Zixuan both took a step back at the sight of Shen Xian.

Over the years, Shen Xian had bought quite a few test papers for the two of them along the way. Thinking of all those unfinished papers at home, Lu Deyu and Lu Zixuan nearly developed a psychological shadow whenever they saw Shen Xian.

“CEO Shen, I’m truly sorry to trouble you with this trip. Ningwan’s grandma misses the child so much. It’s been so many years since they last saw each other, and she insisted on bringing her back this year to visit.” Lu Ming smiled ingratiatingly.

“Yes, CEO Shen, rest assured. We’ll definitely take good care of Ningwan.” Zhang Ruohua chimed in.

“Alright, then I’ll leave her in your hands.” After Shen Xian spoke to Lu Ming and Zhang Ruohua, she turned to Lu Ningwan nearby. “Ningwan, Sweetie and I will come pick you up after the third day of the new year. Take good care of yourself.”

“Little Lu Sister, remember to video call me.” Shen Tian shook the phone in her hand and said reluctantly.

“Okay, I’m only going for a few days. Be good at home and eat your meals. Don’t feel unhappy.” As Lu Ningwan spoke, she poked Shen Tian’s cheek. When Shen Tian smiled, little pear dimples appeared there.

“Alright, I’ll wait for you to come back.”

Shen Xian had been holding back her laughter for a good while. “Okay, you two. It’s not like you’ll never see each other again. You’re being so clingy. Even I and your mommy aren’t as mushy as you two.”

Amid Shen Xian’s teasing, Lu Ming and the others got into the car. Shen Xian watched her own little one, who was still looking reluctantly at the departing vehicle.

Shen Xian ruffled Shen Tian’s hair. “Alright, stop watching. If you miss Ningwan, just call her in a bit.”

“Mm.” Shen Tian pursed her lips and followed Shen Xian into the car.

Lu Ming’s car was not very big. It was still the same old one from years ago that he had never replaced. Now, with Lu Ningwan, Lu Deyu, and Lu Zixuan squeezed into the back seat, it felt quite crowded.

Especially since Lu Zixuan did not want to sit next to Lu Ningwan, Lu Deyu sat between them. Yet he kept fidgeting, occasionally brushing Lu Ningwan’s arm to get her attention.

After “accidentally” bumping into Lu Ningwan three times, Lu Ningwan turned and stared straight at Lu Deyu. “Can you stop moving around?” Her voice was cold as she spoke, and it made Lu Deyu shrink back guiltily to the side.

Lu Ningwan’s voice was not low, so Lu Ming and Zhang Ruohua heard it too. They had always aimed to latch onto the Shen Group as a powerful connection, and a key way to do that was to maintain a good relationship with Lu Ningwan—at the very least, keep up the superficial harmony they had now. They naturally could not afford to offend her easily.

“Lu Deyu, can you sit still for a moment? You’re fidgeting like a monkey.” Zhang Ruohua scolded Lu Deyu a bit, then smiled at Lu Ningwan. “Ningwan, if you don’t want to sit next to Deyu, I can switch places with you.”

Zhang Ruohua was really just saying it; she figured Lu Ningwan would not actually want to switch, since it would require pulling over, which seemed like too much hassle.

“Sure, thank you, Auntie.” Lu Ningwan flashed Zhang Ruohua a commercial fake smile, cutting off anything else she might say.

When Lu Ming heard that, he had no choice but to pull over and let the two switch places.

“What a hassle. Lu Ningwan, do you really think you’re some young miss now just because you live at the Shen house? Hilarious. The Shen family already has two kids. What makes you so special?” Lu Zixuan muttered discontentedly.

“Yeah, it was just an accidental bump. It’s not like I wanted to sit next to you.” Lu Deyu chimed in along with Lu Zixuan.

“Alright, alright. We’re all family, and it’s rare for us to spend the new year together. You two, don’t go looking for trouble where there is none.” With that, Lu Ming turned on the blinker and slowly pulled the car over to the roadside.

“Ningwan, come sit up front. Let your Auntie sit in the back instead. Don’t stoop to their level.”

Lu Ningwan smiled and said, “Thank you, Uncle.” She knew exactly what Lu Ming and his wife were thinking, so she understood they would not want to offend her. Since that was the case, she certainly would not wrong herself. If she felt uncomfortable, she had to speak up.

Once she settled into the passenger seat, Lu Ningwan leaned back against it, and her mood improved right away.

As soon as Shen Tian got home, she sent a flurry of messages to Lu Ningwan.

Sweetie: Little Lu Sister, have you arrived yet? Little Lu Sister, what are you doing? Little Lu Sister, I miss you a little already.

As soon as Lu Ningwan opened the messaging app, she received Shen Tian’s barrage. Her lips curved up slightly as she replied.

Lu Ningwan: Almost there, my little clingy one~ (scratching cat chin jpg)

Sweetie: Yeah, I am Little Lu Sister’s clingy one. Little Lu Sister, drive safely. (hugging jpg)

Lu Ningwan: Okay, you be good at home.

After chatting with Shen Tian for about ten minutes, Lu Ming’s car entered He Shang Village and soon pulled up in front of a courtyard.

The courtyard gate stood open, and someone was already inside. As Lu Ningwan and Lu Ming’s group got out and entered, they immediately drew the gazes of the people working in the yard.

Lu Ningwan’s grandmother had a younger brother, who was Lu Ningwan’s great-uncle. That great-uncle had two sons and a daughter, but one son and the daughter had both gone to develop their careers in other cities and rarely came back for the new year. So only his eldest son’s family remained in the village to keep him company.

“Lu Ming, you’re back? Come on in. The old lady’s just waiting for you.” Lu Ningwan’s cousin’s wife, Liu Xiangping, smiled as she spoke.

Seeing Lu Ningwan look at Lu Ming with some confusion, she added, “Lu Ming, is this Lu Cheng’s daughter? She’s grown so pretty.” As she said it, she reached out to grab Lu Ningwan’s hand, but Lu Ningwan deftly dodged.

When Lu Ming saw Lu Ningwan say nothing, he smiled and smoothed things over. “Ah, sister-in-law, this is Ningwan. The kid’s shy, so don’t mind her.”

Liu Xiangping waved it off. “Ah, we’re all family. We haven’t seen much of each other before, but now we’ll get familiar, right? Alright, alright, go ahead and greet everyone first. Come help me and Lu Peng with the cooking in a bit.”

“Sure, sister-in-law. We’ll come help in a moment.” Lu Ming smiled and headed toward the main house.

Inside the main house, Lu Ningwan’s grandmother and great-uncle sat chatting. At a table not far away, a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old boy lounged lazily, munching on the dried fruits on the table. This was Liu Xiangping and Lu Peng’s son, Lu Dezhou.

Lu Ningwan scanned the room, and her gaze met Lu Dezhou’s in the distance. She frowned slightly; the way he looked at her made her feel deeply uncomfortable.

He was sizing her up from head to toe. Lu Ningwan shot Lu Dezhou a cold glare and looked away.

Lu Dezhou seemed to have found something amusing and grinned. He stood up and patted Lu Deyu. “Come on, bro’s got something to tell you.”

“What is it?” Lu Deyu was not keen on going out just yet; he had not asked the elders for red envelopes yet.

Lu Dezhou slung an arm around Lu Deyu’s shoulders and dragged him out anyway.

Lu Ming smiled and paid them no mind. His family of three came every year, so they were quite familiar with Lu Peng’s family.

Lu Ningwan’s grandfather had passed away a few years earlier, leaving only the old lady. But she had received the money left from Lu Ningwan’s father’s death, so she never lacked for anything in daily life.

Every year, the old lady spent the new year with her brother’s family. Normally, Lu Ming gave Lu Peng a thousand yuan a month to help look after his mother—cooking meals, washing clothes, and such.

When the old lady saw her son, the wrinkles on her face nearly burst into bloom with her smile. “Lu Ming, ah, you’ve come. Quick, let Mom take a look at you.”

“Ah, Mom, this is Ningwan—my older brother’s child.” Lu Ming pointed to Lu Ningwan on the side.

Lu Ningwan was also sizing up this so-called grandmother of hers, whom she had not seen in many years. When she was little, at her most helpless time, this woman had not cared for her. So why did she suddenly want to see her this year?

“Ah, Ningwan, ah. I didn’t realize you’d grown so big. Ah, about your older uncle’s matter back then—never mind, let’s not bring it up. It’s the new year; talking too much would just bring sorrow. You child, I hear from your uncle that you’re always staying at the Shen house now. No matter how well they treat you, in the end, you’re still an outsider to them. After all, we’re the bl00d relatives. You must visit more often in the future, especially listen to your uncle. He raised you from a little thing, after all. In a couple years when you grow up, you must certainly be filial to your uncle…” The old lady kept chattering on.

Lu Ningwan’s expression remained bland, and she spoke without much emotion. “I’ll step out for some air.”

Lu Ming’s heart jolted. He blamed himself for his old lady talking too much; Lu Ningwan must be unhappy again. His own two children were still counting on this connection with her.

“Alright, Ningwan, just walk around nearby. Don’t go too far. There are big dogs in the village; don’t let them scare you.” Lu Ming smiled and cautioned her.

The old lady’s face soured, however. “I wasn’t done talking, and she throws a tantrum. What an ungrateful wolf.”

“Mom, don’t be angry. Ningwan’s had a stubborn streak since she was little. Don’t take it to heart. She has a good relationship with the Shen family, and in the future, Deyu and Zixuan’s jobs will depend on her. Don’t be too harsh on her.” Lu Ming reminded her softly.

“She really is unruly. Such a young age, and already such a temper.” Lu Ningwan’s great-uncle shot a glare toward the door.

“Fine, for your sake, Lu Ming. I see Ningwan’s turned out quite nicely. Now that she’s in school, in the future, we must find a wealthy family to marry her off to. Then we can collect a nice bride price—consider it not raising her in vain.” The old lady was still scheming away. A few days ago, old Zhang’s daughter in the village had married into money, and they had collected over five hundred thousand in bride price alone.

Though she had money left from Lu Cheng’s death these years and lived quite comfortably, she had spent a fair amount too. Now that she knew bride prices could bring in cash, she figured on squeezing a hefty sum out of this estranged granddaughter.

Lu Ming looked at his old lady, wanting to say something but holding back. He did not think his niece was the type to let people manipulate her into marriage, let alone hand over her bride price.

These years, perhaps because Lu Ningwan had always lived at the Shen house, Lu Ming felt her presence had grown stronger and stronger. Sometimes, when he himself met her gaze, he even averted his eyes first. So he did not push it now. Anyway, he had gotten his hands on the money. He had not raised Lu Ningwan for many years at all; it was the Shen family footing the bill. As long as he could get his two kids into the Shen Group to make money, he would be content. A bride price from Lu Ningwan? Lu Ming had never even considered it.

Lu Ningwan did not want to hear any more of those suffocating words from her so-called grandmother, so she went outside the courtyard for some air.

Her figure as she left naturally did not escape Lu Dezhou’s notice in the yard.

Lu Dezhou had pulled Lu Deyu to a spot in the yard far from the adults. He asked in a low voice, “Hey, who was that really pretty girl in the house just now? How come I’ve never seen her?”

Lu Deyu was still thinking about the red envelopes and felt impatient. “You’re asking about that? I thought it was something big. That’s Lu Ningwan. Her dad was the uncle in our family who died. Why do you ask about her?”

Lu Dezhou smiled. “Nothing, just that she looks pretty good. Thought I’d get to know her.” Then he leaned in close to Lu Deyu’s ear and whispered something.

Lu Deyu shoved Lu Dezhou away, his eyes widening. “Are you crazy? She’s basically your cousin.”

“So what? Family scandals stay inside; the adults won’t say anything to save face. Even if we did it, the worst is a beating, but you’d feel great, right? Lu Deyu, have you not developed properly? Too scared to try?” Lu Dezhou sneered contemptuously.

“Fvck you, you’re the one who hasn’t developed. I’ve only used my hand. Fvck, fine, we’ll do it your way.” Lu Deyu pursed his lips and squeezed the words out through gritted teeth.