After the Divorce, My Wife Is Impossible to Coax - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

An Zhaoyu was trying to please her—this was the obvious conclusion Lu Shen had reached.

She didn’t know An Zhaoyu’s ultimate goal. However, Lu Shen had always been tolerant toward her; whatever An Zhaoyu wanted to do, Lu Shen rarely stopped her.

This bird that loved its freedom liked to take the lead in many aspects of life—areas that Lu Shen was often too exhausted to step into. For instance, Lu Shen would never rack her brain to find ways to make someone happy; her actions were mostly based on responsibility and duty. Therefore, to some extent, Lu Shen enjoyed this passivity.

She wanted to see exactly what An Zhaoyu was up to.

“So, how is it? Does it taste good?” Captain An asked, looking like a primary school student handing in her homework. Her large, round, beautiful eyes shimmered with a spark of longing for praise that she couldn’t hide.

“It’s delicious,” Lu Shen replied.

The two were very different. When Lu Shen gave An Zhaoyu the ice cream cake, An Zhaoyu was the one who proactively said she liked it. When An Zhaoyu prepared meals for Lu Shen, Lu Shen only answered when asked. Yet, this mode of interaction felt comfortable for both of them.

Receiving approval, Captain An’s smile was radiant—far happier than her baby who was actually celebrating a birthday.

Lu Shen stayed a bit later that evening. Beyond dinner, she had noticed that the baby would cry heart-wrenchingly every time she left secretly. She had consulted developmental materials, and a colleague in child psychology suggested she shouldn’t leave while the baby was focused on TV or play, as it damaged the child’s sense of security.

So, Lu Shen stayed to watch the early education channel with her. When the baby instinctively looked for her, she found her right there.

“Mama, hug,” An Zhou toddled into her arms. The baby didn’t distinguish between “Mama” and “Mommy” yet, and neither of them corrected her.

Lu Shen smiled and held the tiny body, a surge of happiness welling up within her. Beside her, Captain An could only watch with envy. She wanted a hug, too. She wondered when she would finally get to hold Dr. Lu.

“Mommy has to go back now. Be good, Xiao Zhou. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Lu Shen said, kissing her cheek and saying a proper goodbye.

The sight made An Zhaoyu’s heart ache with a twinge of bitterness. If only they hadn’t divorced, they could be a complete family right now, never having to part.

Lately, Dr. Lu had become incredibly busy. You could tell by the fact that she had swapped her phone for a tablet for their video calls and was constantly fielding business inquiries.

An Zhaoyu rarely shared missions with her anymore. As the only captain left in the rescue team, An Zhaoyu knew Lu Shen was barely participating in emergency flights; she was too busy negotiating.

The commercialization of the new inhibitor wasn’t something academic researchers like Lu Shen and Fu Xinglan could handle alone; it had to be handed over to a pharmaceutical company. Fu Xinglan, the socially anxious Alpha mentor, wanted nothing to do with anything outside of the lab, so she dumped the “mess” on Lu Shen.

Lu Shen wasn’t naturally fond of social networking either, but compared to Fu Xinglan, she was far more capable. Other professors had recommended contacts, leading to her current situation: afternoon tea with a potential partner.

“Dr. Lu, where exactly is the necessity for this inhibitor?” The man, an Alpha named Zhang, glanced at the manual before tossing it aside. “Social order is excellent now. Forced markings are rare. Standard painless inhibitors are enough.”

“The legal definition of ‘forced marking’ is ambiguous,” Lu Shen replied, her tone rigorous. She had sent a detailed presentation beforehand, but it was clear he hadn’t read it.

Current law defined forced marking as marking an Omega against their will. However, when an Alpha releases pheromones to suppress an Omega, they can induce a heat, making the Omega “voluntarily” seek the marking. Many Alphas used this loophole, even recording videos to prove the Omega asked for it. They claimed they were “forced” to help the Omega through their heat.

Jiang Ling had fought many such cases. Few Omegas won because the biological reality of heat—the uncontrollable urge for marking—was a shackle. If an inhibitor could prevent an Omega from being lured into heat, these cases would plummet.

“This goes against the laws of nature,” the man shook his head, disagreeing from an Alpha’s perspective. “Is an Omega who can control their heat even an Omega?”

“By that logic,” Lu Shen frowned, “all modern medicine goes against the laws of nature.”

“Of course not. Things beneficial to humanity are another matter.”

“Are Omegas not human?”

“Cough… I just mean it’s unnecessary. Don’t be so literal, Dr. Lu,” he laughed awkwardly.

“If your company has no interest, then our meeting is over.” Seeing no sincerity, Lu Shen closed her laptop to leave.

“Wait, Dr. Lu!” He reached out to grab her. Lu Shen dodged his hand. “While we aren’t interested in this, if you’re interested in researching drugs that enhance Alpha levels, we can provide ample funding…”

“I’m not interested. Goodbye.”

Lu Shen didn’t see the excited expression of the Alpha watching through the glass door. Wei Jinlin had caught exactly what he wanted: a photo of Lu Shen “entangled” with another Alpha. He gleefully sent it to An Zhaoyu.

— “Xiao Yu, I didn’t lie to you. Look how close she is to another Alpha. You aren’t even divorced yet and she’s already hooking up.”

An Zhaoyu was at the training field, dealing with the headache of training new captains. Wen Su had officially resigned via email, leaving the Alpha-heavy Section 1 in shock. An Zhaoyu sensed something was wrong with Wen Su’s accident, but she didn’t have time to investigate. She had to train someone to take over.

“Me? Captain’s exam? No way,” Wen Yuncheng shook his head.

“Why not? You’re the best in Section 2,” An Zhaoyu snapped. “And don’t worry about me. Section 1 is full of Alphas who might be eyeing my position, but I can handle them.”

“Captain… I heard you and Dr. Lu are getting divorced. Is it true?” Wen Yuncheng asked urgently.

An Zhaoyu remained silent, but her heart was already filled with regret.

As she walked toward Section 1, her phone vibrated. It was a message from an unknown number—Wei Jinlin, whom she had blocked. It was the photo of the Alpha trying to grab Lu Shen’s hand. Her eyes darkened instantly.

— “You dare stalk her?”

An Zhaoyu replied. — “No, it was a coincidence! The guy is my dad’s partner. Oh look, she’s meeting ANOTHER Alpha across the street now!”

In reality, Lu Shen was having dinner with Fu Xinglan. Lu Shen was explaining the previous company’s attitude while Fu Xinglan listened. Compared to Lu Shen, Fu Xinglan was a stone wall—a cold, 1.8-meter tall Alpha who didn’t smile.

Seeing Lu Shen smile at this “cool” Alpha, An Zhaoyu could no longer control her expression. After work, she drove straight to the restaurant. First, she found Wei Jinlin lurking outside and gave him a thorough thrashing to drive the “fly” away.

Then, she focused on the pair inside. She didn’t know the lab-bound Fu Xinglan, but she could tell Lu Shen wasn’t repulsed by this Alpha. They were talking—Lu Shen was talking more than usual.

Since when does Dr. Lu have so much to say to an Alpha? Is this a “backup” partner?

An Zhaoyu took out her lipstick and touched up her lips in the reflection of her phone. She was going to take this seriously.

Inside, Fu Xinglan noticed something on Lu Shen’s shoulder—her OCD wouldn’t let it slide. “What’s on your clothes?” she asked, reaching out to brush it off.

Just then, someone stepped up to their table and grabbed Fu Xinglan’s hand before she could retreat.

Lu Shen was stunned. So was Fu Xinglan.

“Don’t get touchy with her,” An Zhaoyu said coldly to Fu Xinglan, flinging her hand back.

“Lu Shen, who is this…?” Fu Xinglan asked. She didn’t follow the news and didn’t recognize the champion pilot. Her social anxiety began to flare.

“She—” Lu Shen started to introduce her, but An Zhaoyu cut her off.

“I am the mother of her child.”

“…”

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