Afraid of Alphas, but Pregnant with an Alpha’s Child - Chapter 6

After a long day of back-to-back meetings, Lu Mingshen didn’t even have time to rest before driving home. At a red light, he glanced at the small cake sitting in the passenger seat. Assistant Xu hadn’t checked in for a while, and he wondered if the man had managed to deliver the other items properly.

The moment he reached the front door, Lu Mingshen sensed something was off. He pushed the door open cautiously.

The expected “tiny human torpedo” didn’t come flying at him. The lean figure he expected to see reading in the living room was nowhere to be found, and the kitchen was dark. Every door was shut tight except for Jiang Cheng’s, which was cracked just enough to let a sliver of warm light spill out.

The silence was eerie, broken only by the occasional sound of muffled sobbing.

The crying was definitely coming from Jiang Cheng’s room, interspersed with a faint, pitiful wail: “My life is so hard…”

But there were no signs of a struggle. The house was actually exceptionally tidy the floors were polished to a mirror shine. It didn’t look like a break-in. Lu Mingshen frowned and moved silently toward the light.

“Hiccup!”

Inside, a tiny voice let out a loud burp, followed by the sound of someone patting a tummy. Through the door, it sounded muffled, like a goldfish blowing bubbles.

“Uncle Xu, that ice cream was so good! Baby is so full!”

Lu Mingshen’s hand froze on the doorknob. He checked his watch it was nearly seven, and Jiang Cheng had clearly already stuffed himself. He remembered the cake in his hand and decided it should probably go in the fridge.

As he opened the refrigerator, the kitchen light flickered on with a click. Jiang Qiu stood by the switch, looking slightly startled.

His outfit was… hard to miss. He was wearing a bumblebee onesie—a round, fuzzy yellow shape looming at the entrance of the living room. As Lu Mingshen looked over, the fuzzy bee hood slipped off Jiang Qiu’s head, dangling precariously down his back.

“…Mr. Lu, you’re back,” Jiang Qiu said, his voice laced with a bit of post-nap awkwardness.

“Mm,” Lu Mingshen replied, casually setting the cake box on the table. “Have you eaten?”

“Not yet. But Chengcheng just had ice cream and bread, so he isn’t hungry.”

“What about you?” Lu Mingshen asked.

“I…” Jiang Qiu trailed off. He was actually starving, but he could hardly ask Lu Mingshen to feed him. “I’m not hungry.”

Lu Mingshen walked straight to the dining table. “Do you have a moment? I’d like to talk.”

“I do,” Jiang Qiu said. He started to move toward him, then stopped in embarrassment. “Let me go change first—”

“No need,” Lu Mingshen said, giving him a quick once-over. “It’s cute.”

Jiang Qiu: “…”

Lu Mingshen pulled out a chair for him, then sat diagonally across to unpack the cake. The red string was tied in a tight knot to keep the box secure during transit. Just as Lu Mingshen started to get up to find scissors, a round, bee-shaped shadow fell over the table.

Slender fingers reached out to take the box. “Don’t force these kinds of knots; they only get tighter. There. Is this for Chengcheng? Should I put it in the fridge?”

Lu Mingshen took the cake back without a word and sliced a piece with the plastic knife. “Didn’t you say you were hungry?”

Jiang Qiu’s first instinct was to decline. “We should save it for Chengcheng—”

“I bought two,” Lu Mingshen interrupted.

Jiang Qiu ran out of excuses, and his stomach was definitely protesting. The cake was citrus and Muscat grape not too sweet, with a delicate hint of black tea.

Lu Mingshen’s eyes lowered, his gaze lingering for a few seconds on a smudge of cream at the corner of Jiang Qiu’s mouth before he quickly looked away. He pulled out a few tissues and handed them over.

“Forgive me for prying, but I heard you took a leave of absence during your sophomore year. Is that right?”

“Yes,” Jiang Qiu said.

“Have you had a steady income over these past five years?”

“Mostly from writing commissions,” Jiang Qiu replied. “It’s not always stable, but it’s been enough to cover Chengcheng’s childcare costs.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it.” Seeing that he had finished the first piece, Lu Mingshen sliced another and pushed it toward him before Jiang Qiu could object.

Jiang Qiu was a bit overwhelmed by this “service” from a high-powered CEO. He thanked him repeatedly.

Lu Mingshen folded his hands, his voice calm and measured. “Have you considered going back to university?”

Jiang Qiu blinked, stunned.

“Chengcheng is almost four. He doesn’t need an adult hovering over him every second anymore. It’s time for him to make friends his own age. Besides, skipping preschool to go straight to elementary school isn’t great for a child’s development.”

“This is a highly-rated bilingual international preschool nearby. Take a look. Of course, this is just a suggestion. The final decision is yours.”

Jiang Qiu silently took the printed documents. They detailed every aspect of the school except the tuition. He had actually thought about this long before bringing Chengcheng here; he had even researched every preschool in Hangzhou.

But whenever he felt the little guy’s warmth, a wave of protectiveness would wash over him, making him hate the idea of being apart for even a second. Chengcheng was so well-behaved, though. On their first night at the Lu house, Jiang Qiu had stayed awake worrying the boy would be too scared to sleep alone. Instead, the “dad” ended up with dark circles while the “son” slept like a little pig, butt in the air.

Lu Mingshen watched the silent Jiang Qiu and pulled out his phone. Jiang Qiu reached for it, but Lu Mingshen placed it on the table and slid it over instead, carefully avoiding any physical contact.

The screen glowed with a pale blue light. Jiang Qiu took it, but nearly dropped it when he saw the contents.

It was a bank statement. A long, clear list of Lu Mingshen’s income and expenses. The sheer number of zeros made his head spin and his heart thud.

Was this even Chinese? Were these Arabic numerals? What currency was this? Surely not the one he used…

Jiang Qiu stared at the string of digits in stunned silence.

“That’s just the activity for one card,” Lu Mingshen said flatly. “I’m not trying to show off. I just want to make it clear that I need to be involved in Chengcheng’s upbringing, and that includes taking on the bulk of the financial responsibility. Spending a bit of money is nothing within my means.”

“If money could make up for the five years I missed, I’d gladly pay it. But we both know it can’t.”

At this point, Jiang Qiu felt that if he kept being stubborn, he’d just be acting foolish. However, he couldn’t just take the money blindly. After all, five years ago, this man had vanished right after the “act.” His character was still technically questionable. They had only known each other for two days—he couldn’t let his guard down just because Lu Mingshen seemed nice now. For all he knew, the man was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

“Regarding the school… I’m not familiar with Hangzhou, so I’ll leave that to you, Mr. Lu. As for university…” Jiang Qiu looked a bit sheepish. “I didn’t tell you, but I’m actually a sophomore at A-University right now.”

Lu Mingshen started, “If there’s any difficulty, I can hel.” He stopped abruptly. “Wait, what?”

“Actually… after I left the shelter, I applied to return to my old school. But since my leave had exceeded two years, they rejected me,” Jiang Qiu explained.

“It wasn’t a huge deal. I was actually happy to say goodbye to the past. Mr. Lu, as you can see, I don’t handle stress well. My mental state couldn’t take any more setbacks. After… that night, I couldn’t sleep for weeks. I’d have trouble breathing whenever I saw an Alpha. By the time I was well enough to apply for school, the teachers questioned if my ‘Alpha Phobia’ was even real. Some students even sent me anonymous messages asking if I was just ‘desperate to be marked’ and offered to ‘cure’ me themselves.”

Jiang Qiu gave a bitter smile. “I spent years in treatment at the shelter, and more years away, but even today, walking into one makes me shake. I didn’t know what it would be like if I went back to my old university. So, I retook the entrance exams and got into A-University instead.”

“My apologies,” Lu Mingshen said softly.

“It wasn’t your fault, Mr. Lu. That night… it would have been the same with anyone,” Jiang Qiu interrupted. He continued, his voice barely a whisper, “There were so many people there. I felt like a piece of rotting meat thrown into a pack of wild dogs. I might as well have had ‘Come eat me’ written across my forehead.”

Realizing the metaphor was a bit harsh, Jiang Qiu quickly added, “I didn’t mean you were a wild dog.”

Lu Mingshen hadn’t even thought of that, but the awkward clarification made the unintended insult sink in.

“But I’m glad it was you, Mr. Lu, and not someone else,” Jiang Qiu said. “When I say ‘it would have been the same,’ I mean that no matter who I encountered, the trauma would have happened. I might not have had a child, but the phobia would still be there. Given that, I’m truly glad I met you.”

“I know I’ve said it a lot, but… thank you. If it wasn’t for you, Chengcheng and I wouldn’t have reunited so quickly… and I might not have had such a wonderful child.”

It felt a bit cheesy, and Jiang Qiu felt his face heating up, especially since the man opposite him hadn’t reacted. After what felt like an eternity, Lu Mingshen slowly nodded, looking a bit like a glitching robot.

Jiang Qiu leaned forward slightly, his voice soft but firm. “Mr. Lu, regardless of what happened between us, the most important thing is that Chengcheng comes first. Can we agree on that?”

“We can.”

“To live together peacefully, I won’t go out of my way to avoid you like I did before. But could I ask you to always wear your scent-suppressant bracelet when you’re home?”

Lu Mingshen agreed instantly. “Of course.”

“Then that’s everything… Do you have any requirements for me?”

“None,” Lu Mingshen said.

Jiang Qiu: “…” Well, this is awkward.

“Then… here’s to a successful partnership?” Jiang Qiu held out his hand.

The dining light cast a soft glow over his fingertips. His nails were neatly trimmed, and his knuckles had a faint pink tint. Lu Mingshen was silent for two seconds before taking his hand.

“To a successful partnership.”

Just as Jiang Qiu was about to pull away, Lu Mingshen gave his hand a gentle, firm squeeze. Jiang Qiu looked up in confusion, but Lu Mingshen had already let go. His expression and movements were perfectly natural.

It was only Jiang Qiu who felt unnatural. He pulled his hand back hurriedly. “What do you want for dinner? Auntie Xu isn’t here today, I’ll go buy something.”

“I know,” Lu Mingshen said, taking off his suit jacket. “There are ingredients in the fridge. I’ll cook.”

Jiang Qiu blinked. Lu Mingshen explained, “I’m away on business a lot, so I’m not home often. Auntie Xu isn’t always available, so I learned to cook for myself.”

“Then let me help you prep.”

Lu Mingshen didn’t argue. He grabbed another apron for him and then went to knock on Jiang Cheng’s door.

Before his hand could hit the wood, he heard a man’s voice sobbing uncontrollably inside: “The CEO is such a good man, waaaaah!”

Then, a milky little voice chimed in: “Yes, yes! Uncle Lu is a good man!”

“Sniffle… and the Little Young Master is such a good baby!”

Jiang Cheng: “That’s right! And Uncle Xu, you’re a good uncle too!”

The sound of a nose being blown followed. Assistant Xu continued, “If the CEO hadn’t been so kind as to give me a job… hic… I’d work forever, no matter how busy… He even let my mom come cook for him, and he barely eats here, but he still pays her 20,000 a month… plus social security and a housing fund… waaaaah! President Lu is so rich…!”

A loud sniff. “President Lu is a GREAT man!”

Jiang Cheng’s energetic voice followed immediately: “Uncle is a GREAT man!”

There was a soft thump.

“Little Young Master, your fist hit me…” Assistant Xu said weakly after a moment.

Lu Mingshen waited, hearing no more noise. The door wasn’t shut tight, and it swung open with a light tap. Inside the room, Jiang Cheng—still in his bee onesie was holding an ice cream cone. He was leaning over, arms tightly wrapped around Assistant Xu’s head.

When he saw Lu Mingshen, he froze mid-hug. With a ring of ice cream around his mouth, he stared blankly. “Uncle.”

Assistant Xu, who had been sobbing into the “little bee’s” chest, froze too. His hand stopped mid-wipe at his tear-stained eyes, and his mouth hung open. A tear rolled down his nose and into the corner of his mouth. He blinked stiffly, unsure whether to keep crying or say hello. There was a smudge of ice cream in his hair.

He had been so caught up in his emotions that he hadn’t noticed his boss was home! He scrambled to his feet, frantically wiping cream off his clothes. “Sorry, President Lu! I’m leaving right now!”

“Stay for dinner,” Lu Mingshen said. “You worked hard today.”

Jiang Qiu, standing behind Lu Mingshen with a smile, added, “Yes, Assistant Xu, please stay.”

“It was nothing, really… no trouble at all…”

Actually, I bought all those snacks with your card and ate most of them while enjoying your free AC.

Assistant Xu couldn’t handle the pressure of seeing his boss after hours. He declined repeatedly and finally made his escape.

Jiang Qiu tied on his apron and followed Lu Mingshen into the kitchen, only to be “evicted” because he didn’t respect the strict measurements for the seasonings.

The two “bees” one big, one small stood in the living room, staring at each other.

Jiang Cheng patted his chest knowingly and toddled into the kitchen. “Uncle, let baby help you. Baby has experience!”

Watching the two of them busy behind the glass door, Jiang Qiu’s eyes softened with a tenderness he didn’t even realize was there. He went back to his room and pulled out a slightly worn notebook. It was his diary, but also his “illness log.” Everything that had happened over the last five years was recorded inside.

Jiang Qiu picked up his pen:

Today’s Expenses: Various snacks brought by Assistant Xu (charged to Mr. Lu’s card). Preschool tuition: Official website says 180,000/year. (My heart hurts T_T) Total for three years: Roughly 540,000.

Jiang Qiu: …………………… ^ ^

For the first time in my life, I really feel like running away from my debts.

He closed the diary with a long-suffering sigh, the astronomical numbers from the bank statement flashing in his mind.

Mr. Lu is so rich… surely he won’t mind… right?

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