Teasing the Strawberry-Flavored Baby Alpha (ABO, GL) - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lu Ningwan’s life was far less comfortable than Shen Tian’s. She now lived with her uncle and aunt in their three-bedroom apartment. Her uncle and aunt had one room, her cousin and cousin’s sister each had their own rooms, but there was no space left for Lu Ningwan.

Originally, Lu Ming planned for Lu Ningwan to share a room with his daughter, Lu Zixuan. But Lu Zixuan absolutely refused. Surprisingly, his son was willing to share with Lu Ningwan, but she wasn’t willing either. This caused Lu Deyu to cry for half a day, which led Zhang Ruohua to mock and scold Lu Ningwan harshly.

Lu Ningwan listened in silence. She felt too weak and powerless. Besides staying here, she didn’t know where else she could go or who would take her in.

In the end, Lu Ningwan’s “room” became the balcony on the left side of the living room. Lu Ming got her a second-hand single bed to sleep on. Though it was a far cry from her previous life, Lu Ningwan finally had a place to call her own. Besides the bed, the balcony had a double-door cabinet where her old clothes and toys were kept.

She could never forget that day. It hadn’t been long since her parents left her, and she was brought to her uncle and aunt’s home. Those days, she was overwhelmed with grief, but her uncle and aunt barely paid attention to her. They were busy selling off her family’s company assets and house. Lu Ningwan felt that if it weren’t for that money, her uncle and aunt wouldn’t have taken her in.

That day, she sat on the sofa crying. Her cousin and cousin’s sister, however, had long been eyeing her toys. Without even saying a word to her, they went to the cabinet on the balcony and started rummaging through her things.

Lu Zixuan grabbed Lu Ningwan’s skirt and draped it over herself. That skirt was a birthday gift from her mother this year. Meanwhile, Lu Deyu scattered Lu Ningwan’s toys all over the floor.

With red eyes, Lu Ningwan rushed at Lu Zixuan like she’d lost her mind. She snatched back the skirt her mother had bought her and pushed Lu Zixuan to the ground. “This is something my mother bought for me. You’re not allowed to touch it.”

Lu Zixuan was startled by Lu Ningwan’s outburst. Tears streamed down her face as she wailed, “Wahhh, Mommy, Lu Ningwan hit me! This wild child dared to hit me! Wahhh, Mommy, come help me!”

Behind Lu Ningwan, Lu Deyu saw his sister crying after being pushed. He immediately lunged at Lu Ningwan, shouting, “You bullied my sister! I’ll hit you!”

Seeing someone backing her up, Lu Zixuan climbed up from the floor, still crying. Lu Deyu grabbed Lu Ningwan’s hands, pinning her so she couldn’t move. Lu Zixuan then hit Lu Ningwan with all her strength, punching and kicking while sobbing, “Mommy, this parentless wild child hit me! Wahhh, it hurts so much! Mommy, help me hit her!”

Lu Ningwan’s eyes were still red. As Lu Zixuan’s fists and kicks landed on her, she didn’t make a sound. Her wrists ached from Lu Deyu’s grip. She wanted to fight back, but she couldn’t take on both of them. She knew she was just living under their roof now—no one would help her, and no one would care about her pain.

Sure enough, within moments, Zhang Ruohua stormed out. Seeing the three children tangled up—or rather, her two children ganging up on Lu Ningwan—she didn’t hesitate. She rushed over, pulled her own children away, and shoved Lu Ningwan aside.

Though Lu Ningwan was mature for her age, she was still just a five-year-old child. Her back slammed against the cabinet, the pain sharp and intense. Tears had already blurred her vision.

Zhang Ruohua pointed at Lu Ningwan and scolded, “Lu Ningwan, don’t think you’re still some pampered little princess. This is my house! How dare you bully my son and daughter? Do you want to be kicked out?”

Lu Ningwan bit her lower lip. The pain in her back made it hard to breathe, but she stubbornly replied, “They touched my things first. Those are what my parents left me. No one else can touch them.”

“Hah,” Zhang Ruohua sneered. “You think they want to touch your stuff? It’s just junk left by dead people. What’s so special about it? And you two,” she turned to her children, “don’t touch that stuff either. It’s bad luck. Aren’t you afraid of ghosts coming for you?”

The repeated mention of “ghosts” pushed Lu Ningwan over the edge. She struggled to her feet, leaning on the cabinet, looking like a wounded little animal. “They’re not ghosts! They’re my daddy and mommy! I won’t let you talk about them like that! And the money from my family is from my parents too. If you think it’s bad luck, don’t take it!” She wiped the tears from her face with difficulty. Her small body trembled with anger as she glared at Zhang Ruohua and shouted.

Zhang Ruohua didn’t expect a five-year-old like Lu Ningwan to understand so much. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but she quickly snapped, “Your family’s company was drowning in debt. We bought it just to pay off your parents’ debts. If it weren’t for our kindness, you think anyone would take you in?”

Lu Ningwan’s little face was red from crying. She let out a cold huff, but being so young, it carried little weight.

From just a few days living with them, Lu Ningwan had already figured out what kind of people this family was. Even at five, she understood that without the extra money, her uncle and aunt wouldn’t have taken her in.

Zhang Ruohua was furious at Lu Ningwan’s huff. She stepped forward to hit her, but Lu Ming, who had just come out of the room, stopped her.

“Hey, they’re just kids messing around. Come on, let’s all calm down. Zixuan, if you want something, Daddy will buy it for you. Don’t touch your cousin’s things,” Lu Ming said, trying to smooth things over after hearing the commotion from the room.

Zhang Ruohua didn’t care much. She’d already said her piece and had shoved Lu Ningwan pretty hard to vent for her kids. “Tch, you better discipline her. She’s got no manners,” she said.

“Alright, alright, you all go back and rest early,” Lu Ming said, soothing Zhang Ruohua and the kids. Then he remembered Lu Ningwan was still there.

With a smile, he said, “Ningwan, your aunt’s just got a sharp tongue, but her heart’s good. Don’t be mad. Your cousin and his sister didn’t mean it.”

Lu Ningwan just stared at Lu Ming for a moment, then ignored him and started picking up the scattered clothes and toys from the floor.

Lu Ming felt uneasy under her gaze. He hadn’t planned to come out earlier, knowing Zhang Ruohua was there and his kids wouldn’t lose out. But when Lu Ningwan mentioned the money, he felt a pang of guilt. After selling off Lu Cheng and his wife’s assets, he’d paid off the company’s debts and the employees’ wages but still pocketed over six million. For an ordinary working family, that was like hitting the jackpot.

Lu Ming always felt Lu Ningwan’s gaze was off—too piercing for a child her age, like she could see right through him. Uncomfortable, he left the balcony.

When Lu Ningwan came to her senses, she saw Lu Deyu staring at her. She hated this place, hated everything about it, including everyone here.

Lu Deyu, with a cheeky grin, tried to grab her hand. Zhang Ruohua rarely disciplined him, and at kindergarten, he often made girls cry by pulling their hands.

Like his sister, he disliked Lu Ningwan but thought she was prettier than other kids. He couldn’t help wanting to grab her hand to get her attention. As soon as he touched her, Lu Ningwan yanked her hand away.

Lu Deyu shouted, “Lu Ningwan, I’m doing you a favor by grabbing your hand. A wild child like you? No one will care about you!” He huffed a few times and stomped off angrily.

After he left, Lu Ningwan’s eyes slowly reddened. She didn’t want to show weakness to anyone, but she was only five. She felt wronged and wanted to cry. She missed her daddy and mommy at night. She was just a child.

Holding back tears, Lu Ningwan took a basin and put her few clothes in it. She went to the bathroom to fetch water. Her small, delicate hands rubbed soap on the clothes. No one would wash them for her, and using the washing machine was out of the question. First, she was too short to reach it. Second, her aunt complained the machine used too much water. So, she had to wash them herself.

Lu Ningwan still remembered the first time she washed clothes. She didn’t know how much strength to use and ended up with three or four cuts on her hands. After that, she learned not to scrub too hard. No one would care about her pain. Even if just for her parents, she had to take care of herself.