After the Divorce, My Wife Is Impossible to Coax - Chapter 44
Chapter 44
Receiving her call, An Zhaoyu did not ask for a reason; she pulled a U-turn immediately. She thought something had happened to Lu Shen.
When she arrived, Lu Shen simply motioned with her eyes toward the bedroom. An Zhaoyu entered, puzzled, only to find her precious daughter curled up on the sofa looking utterly despondent. The moment the toddler saw her, An Zhou’s eyes lit up. She scrambled off the sofa and ran toward her with tiny arms outstretched.
An Zhaoyu scooped her up, and the two embraced as if they had been separated for years. Lu Shen stood by, not knowing what to say.
“Lu Shen, can I stay here to be with Xiao Zhou?” An Zhaoyu asked cautiously, sensing the reason she’d been called back. “I can sleep on the sofa.”
The sofa was narrow. While a feverish An Zhaoyu could manage curled up, a healthy woman of her stature wouldn’t be able to stretch out. Lu Shen told her to drag the thick mattress from the bed onto the floor.
The apartment only had one bedroom, but it was large—the size of a standard bedroom and a study combined. Moving the mattress onto the wooden floor didn’t cramp the space too much. An Zhaoyu worried Lu Shen would have nothing to sleep on, but she realized Lu Shen’s bed was a tatami style. Lu Shen pulled a clean, spare comforter from the closet to layer on the tatami and tossed a pillow to An Zhaoyu.
The mattress was soft and wide—nearly five feet across. An Zhaoyu sat on it with An Zhou, who did a happy somersault. Finding it fun, the baby treated the bouncy mattress like a trampoline while An Zhaoyu shielded her with her arms.
It wasn’t that the baby never slept on big beds at An Zhaoyu’s place, but for some reason, she was hit by a sudden burst of excitement. The two of them played happily, while Lu Shen watched with pursed lips, finding the glowing tropical fish on the wall more pleasing to the eye than the duo on the floor.
“Lu Shen, can I start a social media account for the baby?” Thinking of the talent scouts from earlier, and seeing how many followers other “internet babies” had, An Zhaoyu thought it would be a nice way to record their lives.
“Mhm,” Lu Shen noted, seeing that An Zhaoyu had already taken dozens of photos.
Eventually, An Zhou tired herself out. She tried to climb from the floor mattress up onto Lu Shen’s bed. An Zhaoyu gave her little bottom a boost, and the child crawled straight into Lu Shen’s arms.
“Mama,” she said, planting a wet kiss on Lu Shen’s cheek.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Lu Shen said helplessly. The child hadn’t been this clingy before she turned one; she must take after whoever spends the most time with her. Lu Shen had to admit that when An Zhaoyu was around, the baby was noticeably more vibrant and cheerful.
“Look at these. Pick a few to post,” An Zhaoyu leaned against the side of the bed, smiling as she showed her the photos.
An Zhou was a natural in front of the camera. Her eyes followed the phone, and her smile was radiant. An Zhaoyu had captured her “baby fat” cheeks perfectly. Lu Shen’s expression softened as she looked, but just as she reached out to pick a few, she stopped midway.
“You choose.”
Despite one sleeping on the bed and one on the floor, they were acting no different than they had before the divorce. In fact, they had never been this close during the marriage—sitting together looking at baby photos.
An Zhaoyu felt a small pang of disappointment when Lu Shen moved slightly toward the window, but overall, she was thrilled. She had been allowed to stay, and she owed that victory to the baby.
An Zhou, seemingly tireless, continued to migrate back and forth between her two mothers. An Zhaoyu carefully selected nine cute photos, posted them, and turned off her phone.
The two on the floor were still whispering after the lights went out. An Zhou refused to go to her own small crib, insisting on sleeping on the big mattress with An Zhaoyu. Lu Shen ignored them and fell asleep facing the window.
By the weekend, An Zhaoyu’s health had fully recovered, and her “kitchen ban” was lifted. Under the guidance of the family nanny, she prepared a lavish Chinese breakfast.
While she cooked, Lu Shen brushed the baby’s teeth and did her hair. An Zhou’s hair was fine and soft, reaching her neck. Lu Shen deftly tied two little “meatball” buns on the sides. She trimmed the baby’s messy bangs slightly to make her look more playful and added two clips—one pink, one seafoam green. Against the baby’s fair skin, the light colors made her face look rosy and fresh.
For clothes, Lu Shen picked out a one-piece “pilot” toddler outfit: a white short-sleeved top with pocket details and a small dark blue tie, with matching pants and yellow-and-black striped epaulets on the shoulders. On An Zhou, it looked both adorable and spirited.
An Zhaoyu’s breakfast was ready. She had made a creamy seafood congee that glistened with a gentle sheen. It was thick and full of plump shrimp, clams, and boneless white fish fillets. She had also made crystal shrimp dumplings; though the shapes weren’t perfectly uniform for a first attempt, the skins were thin and the filling generous.
“Breakfast time!” An Zhaoyu called, setting out two cooled dumplings for the baby, who liked to eat with her hands.
“Breakfast time!” An Zhou mimicked in her milky voice.
Lu Shen tied a bib on her. She couldn’t have the new clothes getting messy. An Zhou wasn’t a picky eater—the only thing she disliked was carrots, which An Zhaoyu cleverly juiced and mixed into her rice balls. Following Lu Shen’s advice that exposure to more varieties of food helps build a better immune system, An Zhaoyu loved letting her try new things.
After breakfast, they headed to the early education center. An Zhaoyu carried the baby while Lu Shen carried a backpack. The center sat next to a kindergarten, featuring a lush lawn with colorful flowers and play sets—blue slides and golden swings.
They checked in at the front desk and were led to a class for children of the same age. The room was decorated in soft spring green, with walls covered in children’s artwork. There was a coffee lounge for parents in the corner with comfortable sofas.
“You’ll be in this pale yellow room for one-to-two-year-olds,” the teacher said.
Lu Shen pushed open the door. The classroom was large and bright, with sunlight streaming through wide windows. It was filled with colorful furniture, building blocks, puzzles, and art supplies.
“Please find a seat, parents and babies,” said the young Omega teacher with a cheerful ponytail and a warm smile.
About seven or eight children had already arrived. For some reason, the parents were all huddling in the back rows, leaving the front row empty. An Zhaoyu carried An Zhou to a front-row seat by the window. Lu Shen sat on the other side of the baby.
The family attracted a lot of attention. Lu Shen wore a white camisole under a translucent light blue shirt, with white denim shorts highlighting her long, straight legs. Her dark hair was held up by a clip, revealing an elegant neckline.
An Zhaoyu’s curls were loose. She wore a red V-neck polo with a white pixel-art heart on the chest. She, too, wore short shorts—black ones that actually belonged to Lu Shen, as she hadn’t brought enough of her own clothes over. Between the two of them, their long legs were a dazzling sight. Thankfully, Lu Shen had insisted they both wear masks before leaving, or people wouldn’t have known where to look. Even the teacher stole a few glances.
“Alright, everyone is here. Today we’re doing painting. This trains color perception and creativity. Parents, please come up and collect your materials.”
As An Zhaoyu turned back from the front with the paints, she noticed an Alpha father in the back staring at Lu Shen. His own Omega wife and son were right next to him, yet he was blatantly ogling someone else’s partner. An Zhaoyu’s fists itched.
Lu Shen sensed the gaze and gave the Alpha a chilling look. Her icy blue eyes startled the man, and he quickly looked away to play with his son. Shameless, An Zhaoyu thought.
“What are we drawing?” An Zhaoyu asked. She wanted Lu Shen to sit in the inside seat to block the leering eyes, but she didn’t want to interfere with Lu Shen’s freedom over something so small. She simply shot warning glances at the Alpha periodically.
“What does Xiao Zhou want to draw?” Lu Shen asked softly.
The screen at the front showed a grassland with a small house and a large tree as a reference. An Zhou didn’t know how to hold a pen; she excitedly grabbed a colorful crayon and tried to taste it.
“No eating that,” Lu Shen shook her head, pulling the crayon away. An Zhou didn’t try to eat it again, but she promptly snapped the crayon in half.
Seeing this, An Zhaoyu took a crayon and drew the character for “King” ($王$) on the baby’s forehead, then drew three whiskers on each cheek.
“Look at our little tiger,” An Zhaoyu borrowed a mirror and held it up to An Zhou. The baby stared at her “new” self in a daze. Lu Shen took the baby’s hand and used the remaining bit of crayon to place a gentle dot on the baby’s nose.
So that’s how you use it! An Zhou copied the movement and drew a line across her own face. Just as An Zhaoyu started to laugh, the baby lunged toward An Zhaoyu’s face with her crayon.
Using her superior reach, An Zhaoyu held the baby’s head at a distance while scribbling back on the child’s face—literally bullying a toddler. The teacher thought the baby would cry, but instead, An Zhou dropped the crayon in her left hand, bit An Zhaoyu’s arm, and lunged forward as she yelped, tearing off An Zhaoyu’s mask and drawing all over her face.
The child… was only a little over a year old.
An Zhaoyu looked in the mirror at the scribbles and groaned, “I’m disfigured.”
An Zhou then turned to Lu Shen. For Lu Shen, she used a different tactic: acting cute. “Mama, Mama~”
Lu Shen, unable to resist, removed her mask and lowered her head. “Go ahead.”
An Zhou giggled, drew a few gentle lines on Lu Shen’s face, and dotted her nose. It was much more tender than what she’d done to An Zhaoyu. With the whiskers drawn on her, Dr. Lu looked quite adorable, unlike An Zhaoyu who looked like a red-haired monster.
An Zhaoyu wiped her face with a wet wipe and then painted herself to look like a pretty calico cat. “Dr. Lu, who’s cuter? Me or her?” Both “cats” leaned toward Lu Shen.
“She is,” Lu Shen said, gently pinching An Zhou’s cheek.
The SSS-rank Omega’s jealousy puffed out like steam.
The other children in the room followed suit, drawing on their faces and bodies. Laughter and scolding filled the room.
“Look at your clothes! I’m the one who has to wash them later. You’re a debt collector born to haunt me!” An Omega mother behind them was scolding her child harshly. The child began to cry. The Alpha father next to them tried to play peacemaker. “Alright, it’s no big deal.”
“It’s no big deal to you because you don’t do the laundry!” the Omega snapped, continuing to berate the child. “Always like this, no hygiene, you look like you were picked out of the trash…”
Seeing people staring, the Alpha husband finally yelled at his wife, “Can you stop acting crazy in public? You’re embarrassing me!”
The Omega finally shut up but gave her child a venomous glare. The teacher eventually asked them to step out, leaving the weeping child alone at the table.
Whispers broke out in the room.
“That Omega mother is a lunatic, screaming at a kid like that in front of her husband.”
“She only stopped because he yelled at her. Serves her right.”
“Why is she complaining about laundry? Isn’t that an Omega’s job anyway?”
“She’s probably only mad because the kid is an Omega. If she’d birthed an Alpha, her life would be easier.”
Hearing them, Lu Shen thought of Wei Qing. Wei Qing had once told her that many children in the world were pitiable because they had no real “Omega motherly love.” Their biological mothers had been transformed into “wives” first by the marriage system; the children were merely tools used to please an Alpha.
Wei Qing’s own mother, He Tingbai, had been so obsessed with her Alpha husband that her love for Wei Qing turned into resentment when the child didn’t win his favor. She had treated an adopted Alpha son (who was actually her husband’s secret love child) with more love than her own daughter until the day she died.
An Zhou, frightened by the shouting, hid in Lu Shen’s arms and peeked at the crying girl.
“Don’t we have a spare set of clothes? Let’s give them to her,” An Zhaoyu said, reaching for their bag. They always carried extra clothes for An Zhou.
“Mhm,” Lu Shen agreed. It wouldn’t solve the long-term problem, but it might make the child feel better for a moment.
They went over to help the teacher. An Zhaoyu handed over a wet wipe. “Let’s draw a new little tiger,” An Zhaoyu said with a smile, beckoning the girl over. The girl, slightly older than An Zhou, was hesitant but eventually leaned in. When she saw her colorful face in the mirror, she finally smiled.
When the parents returned and saw the clean clothes, the Omega mother bristled again. “Where did you steal those clothes?”
“We brought an extra set and changed her. You were complaining they were dirty,” An Zhaoyu said, wiping her own face as she stood up.
“Pfft, who wants your junk? Take them off!” The woman snapped, her temper worsening because her Alpha husband was staring at An Zhaoyu.
“What ‘junk’? They were kind enough to give them, just accept it,” the Alpha said, his eyes still glued to An Zhaoyu. He had never seen such a stunning Omega.
“Are you taking them off or not?” The Omega mother, unable to control her lustful husband, directed her rage at the child.
“Snapping at a child, really classless,” An Zhaoyu said, seeing the girl about to cry again. She detested this needless hostility between Omegas. “What did she do wrong? If you didn’t like her, why did you have her?”
“How I raise my kid is none of your business!”
“Raising your kid?” An Zhaoyu sneered. “Why don’t you raise your Alpha first? Don’t let this ‘Silly A’ stand here making a fool of himself, staring at someone else’s wife. Isn’t that pathetic?”
The last part was directed at the husband.
“Who are you calling pathetic?” The Alpha snapped, his pride wounded.
An Zhaoyu didn’t even want to argue with the woman; she aimed straight for the Alpha. “I’m talking to you. You dump all the parenting on the Omega while you play the ‘nice guy.’ Are your hands broken when it’s time to do laundry? You rely on your mother, then your wife—planning to rely on your daughter for the rest of your life? You’re trash.”
“Who’s relying on her? I’ll have an Alpha son to carry on the name!” the man roared.
People were watching the drama. Lu Shen held An Zhou and comforted the other girl. She had no intention of stopping An Zhaoyu. Captain An was far better at this.
“An Alpha son? A piece of trash like you will only raise more trash. You’re just waiting for a ‘trash Alpha son’ to marry another Omega and ruin her life. Your mother raised you, and have you ever been filial? Ever cooked her a meal? Washed her hair once?”
An Zhaoyu’s voice was calm and steady, not hysterical, which made it cut deeper. The Omega mother fell silent. The Alpha’s face grew redder, his neck bulging.
“Struck a nerve? Want to hit me? Want to use your pheromones to suppress me? Go ahead, try it,” An Zhaoyu called out his intentions publicly, making it impossible for him to act out without looking like a monster.
“You… you…” The Alpha pointed at her, trembling with rage.
“A ‘nobody wants me’ Omega like me, right? Hmph,” An Zhaoyu gestured with her chin toward the silent Lu Shen, her tone boastful. “An Omega like me naturally has someone who wants her—a great beauty, in fact. Someone a piece of trash like you could never get.”
Lu Shen said nothing. The Captain’s “tail” was wagging a bit too high—Lu Shen hadn’t actually agreed to “want” her yet.
The Alpha looked at Lu Shen. Even with the whiskers drawn on her face, her beauty was undeniable. “Stop looking at my wife. Look again and I’ll gouge your eyes out,” An Zhaoyu’s face turned ice cold.
The Alpha stormed off in a rage. The Omega mother moved to pull the child away, but An Zhaoyu blocked her path. “If you go now, you’ll just be his punching bag. Wait a while.”
“What difference does waiting make?” the woman asked coldly.
“I can teach you how to talk back. And my wife’s inhibitors can help you leave him.”
Lu Shen looked up. She remembered those words.
“…No thanks.”
“Then just be a little kinder to your child,” An Zhaoyu said. “She’s the child you labored nine months to bring into this world. No one in the world trusts you or loves you more than she does.”
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