Afraid of Alphas, but Pregnant with an Alpha’s Child - Chapter 9

Leaving the relief center, Lu Mingshen detoured to his office for a work matter.

Jiang Qiu had intended to go home and prepare some snacks before picking up Chengcheng, but Lu Mingshen stopped him. “Just take my car. We’ll head to the school together later.”

The office was quiet. Assistant Xu had already replaced the fragrance with fresh magnolia, filling the room with a faint, elegant scent. On the tea table, water bubbled softly in the kettle.

Lu Mingshen closed the glass door to start a video conference. After a moment’s thought, he got back up and pushed the door open just a crack, allowing the soft instrumental music playing outside to drift in.

His gaze drifted to the sofa, where a lean figure sat reading. Lu Mingshen withdrew his eyes and looked back at the meeting panel on his screen, his expression neutral.

By the time the meeting ended, Jiang Qiu was leaning against the sofa, seemingly fast asleep. Lu Mingshen checked his watch; there was still time. He leaned over, intending to wake him with a gentle tap.

The young man’s breath was inches away. He had eyes like an autumn moon; only by closing in could one see the slight downward tilt at the outer corners long, pale, and delicate, like a shimmering tear.

Lu Mingshen’s gaze lingered on Jiang Qiu’s lips, which were a perpetual shade of pale pink.

The heating in the room was turned up high, and Jiang Qiu was sleeping soundly. He had unconsciously pulled Lu Mingshen’s discarded suit jacket over himself like a blanket, his hands tucked neatly beneath the fabric. The warmth had brought a flush to his face that matched the color of his lips.

Lu Mingshen leaned in again, but in the end, he didn’t wake him. He simply pulled the jacket up, tucking him in securely.

In his sleep, Jiang Qiu felt a tickle at the top of his head, as if something soft had brushed against him for a fleeting second. A cool, crisp scent enveloped him not restrictive, but soft as cotton giving him a rare sense of safety.

When he finally woke up, Lu Mingshen was putting on a different jacket and tightening the scent-suppressant bracelet on his wrist, looking as if he had just finished work.

Lu Mingshen looked down at him, his shadow looming over Jiang Qiu. “Awake?”

“A-awake…”

The leather sofa was soft and smooth; Jiang Qiu had slept so well that he was still a bit dazed. But a second later, he realized the jacket Lu Mingshen was wearing wasn’t the one from before.

Meanwhile, a black jacket was slowly sliding off his own body and there was a suspiciously damp patch on the lapel.

Jiang Qiu: “……………………”

Did I really sleep that hard?!

Jiang Qiu practically lunged into a sitting position, clutching the suit jacket tight. Lu Mingshen reached out to take it, but Jiang Qiu wouldn’t let go.

With his head hung low, Jiang Qiu nearly buried his face in the fabric. “Mr. Lu… I’ll get this cleaned before I return it to you…”

“This jacket cannot be dry-cleaned, hand-washed, or put in a washing machine. It can’t be sun-dried or put in a dryer,” Lu Mingshen said leisurely as he fastened his last cufflink. He plucked the jacket from the stunned Jiang Qiu’s arms. “I’ll give it to Assistant Xu.”

Jiang Qiu’s voice was muffled, his ears burning. “I am so sorry. I’ll cover the cleaning costs…”

He heard Lu Mingshen let out a faint chuckle—it was so brief he thought he might have imagined it. When he looked up, Lu Mingshen had already draped the suit over the sofa and stepped toward the door. “What time is it?”

“Three… ten!!”

Chengcheng was finishing school!

Remembering his promise to his son, Jiang Qiu instantly forgot all about his “dry-cleaning drool” and rushed out the door ahead of Lu Mingshen.

Lu Mingshen watched him go. He turned back, his eyes lingering on the suit for two seconds. Then, driven by some inexplicable impulse, he walked over and touched the spot where Jiang Qiu had been.

Lu Mingshen: …What am I doing?

He dropped the fabric, glanced at it one last time, and walked out, closing the door behind him.

In the underground garage, Jiang Qiu was about to open the car door when Lu Mingshen’s hand pressed against it. Lu Mingshen stood there, his dark eyes fixed on him. “Can you drive?”

“I… can, but I haven’t driven in years.”

“Right. Got it. Get in.”

The drive was steady. Lu Mingshen occasionally caught a glimpse of Jiang Qiu in his peripheral vision. Jiang Qiu was looking out the window at the passing scenery; whenever he felt Lu’s gaze, he’d turn back and offer a small smile. Lu Mingshen eased his foot off the gas, patiently allowing a ride-share car to cut in front of them.

They arrived at the preschool thirty minutes early. A few parents were already waiting by the gates. Lu Mingshen leaned back against his seat and closed his eyes. His posture was relaxed but not slouchy; he looked truly exhausted. Jiang Qiu felt a pang of guilt—after all, the man had spent the whole day running errands with him.

The afternoon sun was strong, its light shifting silently to divide the car interior into warm and cool tones. Most of Lu Mingshen’s sharp features were shrouded in shadow, highlighting the bridge of his nose. Only then did Jiang Qiu notice a tiny, tiny mole right in the center of it.

“Mr. Lu,” Jiang Qiu whispered. “Are you asleep?”

Lu Mingshen gave a soft hum of acknowledgment.

“Do you have time tonight?” Jiang Qiu continued. “I want to take Chengcheng to the supermarket… we need some household supplies.”

“What do you need? I’ll have someone deliver it.” Lu Mingshen opened his eyes and reached for his phone to place an order, but Jiang Qiu suddenly pressed down on his wrist.

Jiang Qiu’s palm was warm and dry. He touched him only briefly before politely withdrawing. “Actually, I thought if you were free, we could go together. If it’s inconvenient, I’ll just take Chengcheng. I want to get familiar with the neighborhood anyway.”

“I’m free,” Lu Mingshen said.

Jiang Qiu’s eyes crinkled into a smile. “Great.”

They sat for a while longer, chatting about nothing in particular. When it was time, they got out to wait.

Old Li, a fellow parent nearby, had seen sharp-looking men before, but never two this sharp appearing at once. One was in a well-tailored dark suit with a cool expression; the other wore a casual apricot sweater and looked incredibly gentle and approachable.

At an international preschool, most people picking up kids were business types. Old Li felt like a fish out of water, so when he saw someone who looked easy to talk to, he naturally wanted to chat. He sauntered over. “Picking up the kid?” He offered them a cigarette.

Jiang Qiu was as friendly as he looked. “Yes. I don’t smoke, though.”

The man next to him didn’t reach for one either.

Old Li withdrew his hand. “Is the guy next to you your husband?”

Lu Mingshen heard him but didn’t react, his eyes fixed on the school gates. Jiang Qiu was flustered; he didn’t know whether to say yes or no. Afraid of more questions, he gave a vague, “Mm-hmm.”

“‘Mm-hmm’? Is that a yes or a no?” Old Li frowned, sensing gossip. He was sharp as a tack.

“…Yes,” Jiang Qiu muttered. I guess.

Old Li looked at him suspiciously. Is it an unofficial ‘no-strings’ thing? Why so hesitant? He couldn’t smell any pheromones. Are they both Betas?

Jiang Qiu didn’t want to deal with him anymore, so he subtly shuffled closer to Lu Mingshen. Although Lu wasn’t looking at him, his reflexes were sharp; he immediately swapped positions with Jiang Qiu, looking down at the prying Old Li.

Lu Mingshen looked cold and unapproachable. Staring into the face of a true corporate shark, Old Li felt that familiar intimidation return. He grumbled and turned away to smoke in silence.

Jiang Qiu frowned, tugged on Lu Mingshen’s sleeve, and led him a little further away.

Finally, the school bell rang.

One kid burst out first, nearly flying through the air before a teacher caught him by the collar and hauled him back. A moment later, the teacher led the children out in an orderly line. The caught kid was pouting, fiddling with his hat. Jiang Qiu’s eyes scanned the group and found Jiang Cheng in the middle.

Chengcheng saw his dad waiting by the car and started jumping for joy, waving frantically. Jiang Qiu waved back with a smile, but then saw the teacher frown. Chengcheng lowered his hand, though the grin remained plastered on his face.

Once the group was dismissed, Chengcheng sprinted out and lunged into his father’s arms.

“Whoa!” Dad swung him up into the air.

“Did you have fun today?” Jiang Qiu asked, squeezing his little hand.

Chengcheng blinked. “It was okay.”

“Make any new friends?”

“Not yet.”

“Did anyone bully you?”

Chengcheng went limp, leaning his head on his father’s shoulder. His warm breath tickled Jiang Qiu’s neck. “Nooo.”

Jiang Qiu buckled him into the car seat in the back. One last question: “Did you bully anyone else?”

Chengcheng went silent, his dark eyes blinking at his dad. “Nooo,” he said softly after a few seconds.

Some mean kids were bothering someone else, and baby just helped chase the mean kids away. That doesn’t count as bullying, right?

Satisfied, Jiang Qiu pinched his son’s cheek. “Daddy will sit in the back with you.”

“Yay!”

On the road, Lu Mingshen asked what they wanted to eat. There was no food at home, and it was too late to grocery shop and cook from scratch.

“Hamburgers!” Chengcheng answered decisively.

Jiang Qiu pressed his hand to the boy’s forehead and nudged him down onto his lap. “No, we had those yesterday.”

“Aww, okay…” the boy whined.

In the end, Lu Mingshen made the call: they’d grab a quick bite near the supermarket and then shop for what they needed. The little diner near the supermarket wasn’t great. Chengcheng’s face was scrunched up as he ate, and he ended up filling up on a bottle of milk.

Jiang Qiu felt bad. “I’ll make you a late-night snack when we get home,” he promised.

The little guy agreed happily. From the front, Lu Mingshen added, “I’m a bit hungry too.”

“I’ll make something delicious for both of you!” Jiang Qiu said.

“Hooray!” Chengcheng cheered.

The snack aisle was full of samples. Chengcheng ran around, excited by everything, until he saw a long queue. He turned to “Uncle Lu” and made a pleading gesture. Lu Mingshen grabbed a full bag of the snack to put in the cart, but a tiny hand caught his hem.

“I don’t want the big bag. I want that one,” Chengcheng said, pointing to the sample.

Lu Mingshen, who had never stood in a sample line in his life: “…”

He ended up dutifully waiting in line for his son. By the time he was done, ten minutes had passed, and the other two were nowhere to be seen in the household goods section. He eventually found them. Chengcheng wasn’t complaining about hunger anymore; he was clinging to his dad’s neck.

“This pink cup is the one I lost,” the boy said.

Jiang Qiu smiled and picked him up. “What an honest baby! You get a blue cup as a reward! We’ll use it for brushing your teeth, okay?”

Lu Mingshen: “…”

We’re never getting out of this supermarket.

Before the two of them could start reenacting Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Lu Mingshen moved fast. He grabbed everything they needed and made sure to sneakily remove the extra things Chengcheng had stashed in the cart.

Holding Jiang Qiu’s hand as they followed behind, Chengcheng pouted.

Uncle Lu is such a cheapskate!

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