Teasing the Strawberry-Flavored Baby Alpha (ABO, GL) - Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After school, Lu Ningwan hurriedly ran out of the school gate to find her uncle’s car. When she reached it, Zhang Ruohua was startled and muttered softly, “She actually came to school on her own, hmph.”

Lu Ming was also surprised but quickly put on a smile. “Ningwan, we saw you sleeping so soundly when we left, so we didn’t disturb you. I didn’t expect you to come to school by yourself. That’s impressive, haha.”

As Lu Ming spoke, Lu Ningwan’s eyes stayed fixed on him, but her gaze held no warmth. It was as if she had stripped away the adults’ hypocritical facade completely. Lu Ming felt uneasy under her stare and awkwardly said, “Well, since you’re here, get in the car.”

Lu Ningwan struggled to climb into the back seat. Before she could settle, Lu Deyu and Lu Zixuan burst into giggles beside her.

“Lu Ningwan, are you a pig? Sleeping so much! What time was it when you got to school?”

Lu Zixuan chimed in, “Hilarious, brother. Lu Ningwan thinks she’s some kind of princess, waiting for us to wake her up.”

“Waiting for me to wake her? She won’t even let me touch her hand. Her, waiting for me? Keep dreaming,” Lu Deyu laughed so hard he could barely breathe.

Zhang Ruohua didn’t care at all. She thought the house would be better without Lu Ningwan. She even wished a trafficker had taken her when she went to school alone that afternoon—it would mean one less burden at home.

Lu Ningwan just lowered her head, her eyes unfocused, ignoring Lu Deyu and Lu Zixuan’s words. As expected, when the siblings saw she didn’t react, they lost interest and moved on to talk about something else.

For dinner, they had scallion oil noodles. Lu Ming served everyone a bowl.

As usual, Zhang Ruohua used mealtime to scold Lu Ningwan a few times, which had become daily entertainment for Lu Deyu and Lu Zixuan.

Sure enough, Zhang Ruohua started her sarcastic remarks. “Oh, look at our little princess. Uncle serves her food, and I have to wash her dishes afterward. Lu Ming, you’ve really raised an ancestor in this house.”

“Come on, enough. Say less. She’s my brother’s kid, after all,” Lu Ming said. He didn’t care much about Lu Ningwan, but he was tired of hearing Zhang Ruohua nag every day.

Zhang Ruohua got upset. “What? Now you’re blaming me? Am I not telling the truth? Isn’t Lu Ningwan just freeloading here?”

Listening to the foul language filling the room, Lu Ningwan forced herself to eat half a bowl of noodles despite her discomfort. She said calmly, “From now on, I’ll wash my own bowl.”

Zhang Ruohua rolled her eyes. “Fine, if you’re so capable, why don’t you cook your own food too?” Lu Ningwan didn’t argue. She took her small bowl, dumped the leftovers, and since the dish cabinet was too high, she dragged a stool over to stand on and wash her bowl.

Lu Ming thought of the six million in his pocket and felt a twinge of guilt. “Ningwan, your aunt was just joking. Leave it there; you don’t have to wash it.”

“Who said I was joking? She’s so tough, let her wash it. I’m not doing it,” Zhang Ruohua snapped, storming off to her room.

Lu Ningwan’s small hands caught the water from the faucet, slowly washing her bowl clean before placing it back in the cabinet. She returned to her tiny bed and started on her homework. Her aunt complained about electricity costs, so the living room lights were turned off after dinner. Lu Ningwan had to use the balcony light to do her homework, but thankfully, it was bright enough.

When Lu Deyu came out to use the bathroom and saw Lu Ningwan doing homework, he sneered, “Nerd. What’s the point of studying so much? Might as well watch TV.”

Lu Ningwan ignored him. She had flipped through all the first-grade textbooks and found she already knew everything. With what she’d learned over the years, even third or fourth-grade material wouldn’t be hard for her. Plus, her English was strong—she could hold conversations with foreigners easily.

Lu Ningwan sighed. In the past, she could’ve asked her parents to buy her advanced reference books. But now, her uncle and aunt resented even feeding her. How could she ask them for higher-grade books? Even if she did, they’d surely refuse.

She glanced at the clock—it was already 10 p.m. The lights in the other rooms were off. Lu Ningwan felt hungry. She had only eaten half a bowl at dinner, unable to swallow more because of her aunt’s words. Now her stomach was grumbling.

She remembered the box Tiantian gave her. Carefully, she took it out of her backpack and opened it slowly. The aroma of pineapple filled her nose.

She picked up a pastry and ate it. The crispy outer layer gave way to a soft, tender pineapple jam filling. It was delicious. She counted—there were eight pastries in the box. She ate four and couldn’t bear to eat the rest. What if tomorrow was like today? Saving four for tomorrow would be good.

She carefully hid the box in the cabinet, went to the bathroom to wash up, and hurried to bed. But that night, Lu Ningwan couldn’t sleep soundly. She had no alarm clock or phone to set a wake-up time and was afraid her uncle’s family wouldn’t wake her for school. She slept fitfully, waking every so often, her mind heavy with worry. By 6 a.m., there were dark circles under her eyes.

When Lu Zixuan saw Lu Ningwan up, she didn’t miss the chance to mock her. “Wow, you actually got up today. Got scolded plenty yesterday, huh? Haha, do all your classmates hate you?”

Lu Ningwan ignored her, walking past Lu Zixuan to wash up.

Lu Zixuan grumbled behind her, “What’s with the attitude? Just an unwanted wild child.”

Lu Ningwan turned back coldly, staring at Lu Zixuan. “I’ll say it again: I have parents. I’m not a wild child.”

Lu Zixuan was startled by her gaze but shouted defiantly, “Mommy, she’s so annoying! Lu Ningwan’s being mean to me again!”

Zhang Ruohua glanced at Lu Zixuan, saw her daughter wasn’t hurt, and said casually, “Why bother with her? Do your own thing.”

Breakfast was surprisingly calm for Lu Ningwan. She didn’t say a word, eating quietly. The rest of the family at the table was cheerful, as if she didn’t exist. After eating, she took her bowl to the kitchen to wash, then sat on the couch waiting to go to school.

Zhang Ruohua ignored Lu Ningwan, treating her like air. Opening the car door and getting in were things Lu Ningwan did herself—no one helped. Still, this was better than walking to school. She was too small; a ten-minute walk for adults took her twice as long. She could only keep a low profile, hoping the family wouldn’t target her.

Meanwhile, Shen Tian woke up early, grabbed her little bunny alarm clock, and ran to Shen Xian and Lin Qinghan’s room. Luckily, they were still in pajamas. Shen Xian rubbed his eyes, surprised at his daughter, who was up earlier than him. “Tiantian, why are you up so early?”

Shen Tian dragged her slippers and climbed onto her mommy and mother’s bed, rolling around in their arms.

Lin Qinghan, amused, secretly pinched Shen Xian’s sleeve where Shen Tian couldn’t see. Shen Xian winked at her and asked, “Up so early to act cute? Tell us, Tiantian, what do you want Mommy and Mother to help with?”

Shen Tian raised her little face, explaining, “Mommy, Mother, Little Sister Lu was late yesterday. I want to give her my little bunny clock. Even if I’m not there, the bunny can keep her company and wake her up~”

Lin Qinghan chuckled, poking her daughter’s cheek, feeling both curious and a bit jealous. “Is Little Sister Lu that important?”

Shen Tian nodded seriously. “Very important. I really like Little Sister Lu. She’s my best friend!”

Alright, as long as her daughter was happy. Plus, Lu Ningwan, who had visited before, was a cute little girl. “Fine, Tiantian. It’s your stuff, your choice. Your mother and I won’t interfere. Give it to whoever you want.”

Shen Tian’s face lit up with a smile, her dimples showing as she cooed, “Thank you, Mommy, Mother~”

After Shen Tian left, Lin Qinghan asked Shen Xian, “What’s the family taking care of Little Lu like?”

Shen Xian, getting up to change, said, “Not sure yet. It’ll take a few days to find out. I’ll also have someone look into Little Lu’s parents’ car accident.”

“Good. Tiantian cares so much about that girl, so we should check.”

Last night, Shen Tian hadn’t eaten much after learning about Lu Ningwan’s parents. Today, she ate breakfast heartily, her little mouth stuffed full.

Fang Jinglan and Shen Wenkang were relieved to see their granddaughter eating well again.

After breakfast, Shen Tian asked her mother for a pretty pink box, carefully placed her little bunny clock inside, and put it in her backpack, planning to give it to Little Sister Lu during a break at school.

Shen Xian watched her daughter’s actions, tempted to give her a thumbs-up. If she’d been half as charming as Tiantian at that age, she wouldn’t have been single until 28, only figuring things out when she met Lin Qinghan.

Shen Xian thought to herself, Tiantian was so sweet—too good at winning girls over! A pretty box with a nice bow? Where did she learn this? At that age, Shen Xian was probably still just eating instant noodles.

Shen Tian, unaware of her mother’s thoughts, happily pulled Shen Xian and Lin Qinghan along, saying she wanted to get to school early to study.