After the Divorce, My Wife Is Impossible to Coax - Chapter 53

Chapter 53

Early the next morning, Ye Jinhua rushed over. She had come to check on Lu Ming and planned to stay for a few days to care for her daughter.

“Where is that old man?” she asked Lu Yi, her face etched with worry—though it was worry for Lu Ming. Thinking about that shameless old scumbag Alpha barging in on her daughter, she had been too angry to sleep all night.

“In the study,” Lu Yi said. “Sister is fine. Shen-shen and Xiao Yu came over yesterday.”

Lu Congwen was a petty man. Since Ye Jinhua refused to live with him, he had restricted the number of times she could enter the Lu estate, though Lu Yi always intervened to let her in. As the mother and daughter were talking, they saw Lu Shen and An Zhaoyu coming downstairs.

“Xiao Yu, did you stay here last night?” Ye Jinhua keenly sensed something different.

“Yes, Grandma,” An Zhaoyu’s voice was sweet.

“Did you stay with Shen-shen?”

“Mhm,” she tilted her head playfully toward Lu Shen and then nodded to Ye Jinhua.

Lu Shen said nothing but gently took An Zhaoyu’s hand. She knew her grandmother had always worried about her and her mother. A smile blossomed on Ye Jinhua’s face, her eyes sparkling with joy. Nothing was more heartening than the fact that Lu Shen had finally found someone to love.

Lu Yi also nodded. When An Zhaoyu had come to the Lu house alone yesterday, she had felt the girl was reliable; now, everyone was happy.

“Grandma, don’t worry. From now on, I’m going to stick to her like glue,” An Zhaoyu’s tongue was sweeter than Lu Shen’s. She used her other hand to hold Ye Jinhua’s.

“Good, good, good,” Ye Jinhua truly adored her.

“Let’s have breakfast together first,” Lu Yi led them to the dining room.

It was still early. The morning in the mountains was cool and quiet. A layer of thin mist wrapped around the courtyard like a light veil, drifting apart with the breeze. It was incredibly comfortable. If it weren’t for that annoying old man Lu Congwen, An Zhaoyu would have been quite happy to live here for a while. What a perfect place with great Feng Shui.

At the long, wide table, none of them were willing to sit in the so-called “head seat.” The four of them sat facing each other.

“Mom, don’t leave after you come back this time,” Lu Yi said as she had four bowls of noodles served.

“What’s wrong?” Ye Jinhua didn’t like living with Lu Congwen.

Lu Yi gestured for Lu Shen to continue.

“I want to change Mom’s legal guardian to Grandma,” Lu Shen said. She usually worked at the medical center, so returning to the Lu estate wasn’t convenient.

“Will the old man agree?” Ye Jinhua wanted this, but a judge had previously awarded Lu Ming’s guardianship to Lu Congwen. To him, Lu Ming and Lu Shen were magical tools for making money; he held onto them tightly. Why would he let go?

“Wei Ruicheng’s glands have been excised. Grandfather will know about this soon,” Lu Shen’s threat yesterday worked because she knew how devastating this news would be to him. “Right now, the power of the Lu family lies with Aunt. Grandfather can retire now.”

“If he isn’t willing to voluntarily hand over Mom’s guardianship,” Lu Shen paused, “I recall that if a person has mental health issues themselves, they cannot serve as a guardian for someone else.”

She knew Lu Congwen too well. His strongest ally, Wei Ruicheng, was now a spent force. Lu Congwen was currently prone to losing emotional control. Mental illness itself is difficult to diagnose, but given Lu Ming’s history, the difficulty for Lu Congwen to prove his own stability once agitated would be immense.

He could only, and must, surrender the guardianship. Since he loved traditional rituals and atonement so much, wasn’t it generous enough to let him spend the rest of his life at the Lu estate eating vegetarian food and repenting to her mother? And if that wasn’t enough, she would send him where he truly belonged.

What a scheming wife, An Zhaoyu thought silently from the side. She loved it.

“I’ll consider it,” Ye Jinhua said with a smile. She had long felt Lu Congwen had mental issues—wasn’t such extreme malice toward the Omega gender that birthed him a kind of sickness?

The chef brought out the steaming bowls of noodles. They were a tempting golden yellow, shimmering slightly under the light. Chopped green onions were scattered like stars, their verdant color stimulating the appetite. The broth was a clear, fragrant stock.

“Great! If Grandma is here, we can visit often,” An Zhaoyu added a bit of chili. The bright red flecks in the clear soup looked like the afterglow of a sunset on a lake.

As they were enjoying breakfast, several of Lu Congwen’s illegitimate children arrived with their families. Their expressions soured when they saw Ye Jinhua. Although Ye Jinhua and Lu Congwen were estranged, she was the only Omega partner he recognized. These illegitimate children’s mothers had all been abandoned. They were brought to the Lu house as children and forbidden from seeing their mothers; Lu Congwen, in his feudal ways, had even once tried to make them call Ye Jinhua “Mother.”

But Ye Jinhua never indulged him. She was unfriendly to them and openly biased, loving only her own daughter. This had left no small psychological shadow on the illegitimate sons. Seeing this happy family scene, how could they be pleased?

“Auntie Ye,” they greeted her nonetheless, as Lu Congwen insisted on the appearance of a harmonious big family.

“Hmph,” Ye Jinhua didn’t even look at them.

Grandma’s personality is so cute too, An Zhaoyu stifled a laugh.

“The Lu family has raised quite a few good-for-nothings over the years. Now that they’re adults, staying at the Lu house isn’t appropriate,” Lu Yi said casually. “It’s time they went out to earn their own living.”

“Sister, that won’t do! The old man said he’d support us!” The illegitimate sons were instantly indignant. They liked to gossip about Lu Ming and Lu Shen behind their backs, but they feared Lu Yi. As long as Lu Congwen held power, he was lenient toward Alphas—as long as they produced high-ranking Alpha grandchildren, their livelihoods were secure. But now, Lu Congwen had given half the estate to Lu Yi.

Every time they called her “Sister,” Lu Yi’s skin crawled. She had no desire to be their sister.

“No one gets supported for a lifetime unless they’re an endangered species,” An Zhaoyu said mockingly. She was amazed to see such a situation in person. Giant pandas could be pampered because they were cute and rare; these Alphas were baffling—giant babies, both ugly and annoying.

Lu Shen didn’t plan to interfere in the family’s internal politics; she trusted her grandmother and aunt to handle it. After breakfast, they checked on Lu Ming, who was still sleeping. Ye Jinhua stayed behind, while Lu Shen and An Zhaoyu drove back to the medical center.

“Captain, what’s the happy occasion today?”

When An Zhaoyu arrived at the training ground, she actually smiled at everyone—a rare occurrence that terrified the team members into reflecting on every mistake they’d made recently. But they had to admit, she looked beautiful when she smiled, radiant and warm.

“A very happy occasion.”

She was like a bright bird with its tail feathers up, clutching her helmet and ready to fly into the sky to show off.

“Heh,” Wen Yuncheng said confidently to the teammates. “She caught Dr. Lu.”

“Really? No divorce?”

“Man, I haven’t seen Dr. Lu in a while. I kind of miss her.”

Lately, Lu Shen had been busy with research and hospital work. She might have also been avoiding the search and rescue team to keep a low profile, so doctors from other departments had been filling in.

Soon, An Zhaoyu thought. Once Lu Shen finished dealing with Wei Ruicheng’s mess, she would return to the rescue team.

Wei Ruicheng was still hospitalized and expected to be discharged tomorrow. He had been asking around about gland transplants and had people watching his son to make sure Wei Jinlin didn’t run off.

Wei Jinlin had actually used his brain for once. After going back, he realized that Lu Shen placing him in the same ward as his father was clearly a move with ulterior motives. He started researching gland transplants as well. After asking several doctors, he discovered it wasn’t at all like Liang Wei had said. Gland transplants weren’t something “every doctor in the country could do”—they were legally prohibited. No legitimate doctor would perform one. They were definitely trying to provoke a rift between father and son!

Coming to this realization, Wei Jinlin was filled with murderous intent. He wanted to rush to the gland department and kill Lu Shen immediately. But to his surprise, he found out Lu Shen had specially brought Liang Wei to apologize to Wei Ruicheng, saying the surgery was impossible. Because of this, Lu Shen was fined and her promotion was affected; the disciplinary notice was posted right on the department’s bulletin board.

What kind of trick is this? Wei Jinlin was confused.

“President Wei, there’s no need to ask further. I’ve said it: gland transplants are impossible. I will never perform an illegal operation,” Lu Shen said during her rounds, refusing him again.

Wei Ruicheng, having lost his glands, lay in bed with lifeless eyes. He felt incomplete, like a cripple. Even though his Omega wife cared for him meticulously, he couldn’t stop venting his rage. Glands! I want my glands!

“Honey, someone is here to see you,” the Omega said softly. “President Wei, are you okay?” It was a business partner—one of the Alphas who had been demanding money in his office that day.

Originally, few people knew about his hospitalization. Many, like Lu Congwen, thought his rank was being boosted. But Wei Qing had secretly leaked the news of his gland excision. This immediately drew people to verify the rumor.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. The Alphas who had been suppressed by him and were jealous of his artificial rank boost couldn’t help but come to the medical center to see for themselves. Seeing him lying weakly in bed with a thick white bandage on his neck, the Alpha froze. Usually, Wei Ruicheng was always in control, looking down on everyone. Now, he was a pathetic worm without pheromones.

The Alpha’s gaze was full of pity, but deep down, it was mockery. Now that Wei Ruicheng didn’t even have glands, he wasn’t even a “complete” Alpha. He no longer had the capital to suppress lower-ranked Alphas.

Wei Ruicheng saw through him instantly. His rage boiled. Without his glands and pheromones, any ant could crawl over his head and look down on him. Before, this guy wouldn’t have dared look at him like this; he was only fit to kneel and look up. Now he dared to put on such an arrogant front? What was he?

“Get out! Everyone get out!” He threw the flowers and fruit at the man.

“Then get some rest, President Wei. It would be best if you could settle the equipment debts after you’re discharged,” the Alpha said, not angry at all. He even smiled good-naturedly as he picked up the fruit and placed it on a cabinet further away. As he walked out, the smile in his eyes turned into pure, unadulterated satisfaction. He was going to tell everyone in S-City!

Wei Ruicheng trembled with rage, but there were no sharp pheromones to broadcast his anger and force others into submission. “Where is Jinlin? Call Jinlin!” he roared at the Omega beside him.

Monitoring everything from next door, Wei Jinlin received his mother’s call. The danger of losing his glands had sharpened his mind. He stalled for a while, then pretended to have just returned from playing outside.

“Father,” he said, standing by the bed.

Seeing him unharmed, Wei Ruicheng’s mood finally calmed. He stared at his son’s glands with envy. Wei Jinlin’s rank wasn’t low; if he used Lu Ming’s previous medicine, he could probably be boosted to SSS-rank. SSS-rank… that was enough. He didn’t dare be greedy for an Enigma anymore.

Wei Jinlin shuddered. He could feel that Wei Ruicheng was more obsessed with his glands than his son.

“It’s nothing. Father just wanted to see you. I’m sick; stay with me more during this time.” Fearing he’d be noticed, Wei Ruicheng looked away and spoke affectionately.

Wei Jinlin felt like he was being watched by a venomous snake that wanted to steal his glands at any moment. And this snake was the father who had raised him for twenty years. He was terrified to his core. He knew exactly what kind of person his father was. Even if the law forbade gland transplants, his father wouldn’t care about the law to get his glands back.

And for transplants, the higher the blood relation, the higher the success rate. Liang Wei hadn’t lied about that. In this world, the people most closely related to Wei Ruicheng were him and Wei Qing. Wei Ruicheng would never want Wei Qing’s Omega glands. His father only wanted his Alpha glands.

He was the only Alpha son! He had been proud of this “luck” before, but now he was going to pay the price. No, his glands couldn’t be given to his father. If they were, and his father had other Alpha children with his mother, wouldn’t he become like the old Wei Qing? No, he’d be worse—at least Wei Qing had Grandma He Linghan. He had nothing. He would fall from heaven to hell.

He had to leave this place, leave Wei Ruicheng’s side. But could he? His only source of income was the secondary card his father gave him. And now, Wei Ruicheng seemed to have people watching him to prevent him from escaping. He couldn’t leave S-City. He sat in the dark emergency stairwell, clutching his head in pain. Only there did he feel free from surveillance.

Finally, he made a decision. He knew that only if his father was dead would his glands be safe.

Wei Ruicheng had planned to be discharged tomorrow, but his phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Many people wanted to visit him in the hospital. His eyes were clouded with gloom; they all wanted to see him as a joke. Just wait. Once he got his glands back, he’d make them pay. He had his family make preparations to be discharged and return home tonight.

“Father, can you get out of bed?” Wei Jinlin went over to help him. “Of course! My legs aren’t broken!” Wei Ruicheng glared at him, dissatisfied with the perceived slight. “I’m sorry, Father,” Wei Jinlin said. He wasn’t slighting him, but his inner world had become extremely sensitive, finding fault with everyone.

As they left the medical center, a black luxury sedan was waiting for them nearby. Wei Jinlin looked at the empty intersection and suddenly said, “I think I left my phone in the hospital.”

“Such a small thing. Have someone get it for you,” Wei Ruicheng said impatiently. “They don’t know where it is,” Wei Jinlin turned and ran.

The only person supporting Wei Ruicheng was his Omega wife. Wei Qing never touched him, following from a distance in her own car. The bodyguards were preparing to help.

At that moment, when the protection around Wei Ruicheng was weakest, a truck with its headlights glaring came barreling toward them, far exceeding the speed limit. Wei Ruicheng’s pupils dilated. It was too fast; he had no time to escape. His first reaction was to grab his Omega wife and use her to shield himself from the impact.

But she didn’t budge. The “weak” Omega wife seemed prepared; she let go of his hand early and stepped back. No mother would voluntarily give up her child. Especially with someone as extremely selfish as Wei Ruicheng—he had many Omegas outside. If he took Wei Jinlin’s glands, he wouldn’t lack descendants. But Wei Jinlin was her only son. As long as he was alive and well, everything Wei Ruicheng owned would belong to the two of them.

The accident happened in a split second, but the players had been plotting for a long time.

A sharp screech of brakes echoed at the entrance of the medical center. A large pool of blood spread across the road. The scene became chaotic. An Zhaoyu covered Lu Shen’s eyes. If Wei Qing hadn’t diverted the danger, that truck might have hit Lu Shen today. Thus, she felt zero sympathy for Wei Ruicheng.

The police arrived quickly—so quickly that Wei Jinlin didn’t even have time to leave the medical center. He was taken away along with the drunk driver.

“Let’s go,” An Zhaoyu took Lu Shen’s hand, feeling a bit of lingering fear. Lu Shen nodded. Her eyes showed no emotion. Compared to the terror of being kidnapped or a plane crash, a car accident was minor. Wei Jinlin’s IQ could only think this far.

They went to the An house to pick up the baby. An Zhou ran out of the house happily, opening her little arms for them.

“Baby, why are you so happy?” An Zhaoyu picked her up and kissed her cheek. “Mama~”

“She didn’t see you yesterday and cried at home for quite a while,” He Nanchun said. Seeing the two of them, she felt something was different. “What happened to your hand?”

“Just a minor injury. It’s fine; Lu Shen already treated it,” An Zhaoyu’s hand was still bandaged. “Auntie, my mother bit her hand,” Lu Shen said honestly. “Then how is your mother?” He Nanchun asked with concern. “She’s fine. Mom is doing very well now,” Lu Shen smiled.

She rarely smiled. Seeing this, He Nanchun’s mood brightened. Suddenly, she had a flash of intuition and asked cautiously, “Are you and Xiao Yu… back together?” Lu Shen nodded gently.

“That’s wonderful!” He Nanchun was beaming. This was the best news. She liked Lu Shen very much; Lu Shen was the first person over the years who could make her rebellious daughter retract her claws. An Zhaoyu’s behavior lately had been very gratifying to He Nanchun. She had hoped every day that An Zhaoyu would win Lu Shen back so the baby wouldn’t have to go back and forth.

“Then let’s take our baby out for a walk, okay?” An Zhaoyu said with a smile. Today was the Chinese Valentine’s Day. Earlier in the car, Lu Shen had agreed to go out together. This was essentially their first date; it needed some sense of ceremony.

They drove to the busiest street in S-City. After An Zhaoyu finally found a parking spot, the two of them took An Zhou out. The moonlight on Qixi was soft. The bustling streets were lined with colorful lanterns. Couples walked the streets, and children wearing cat-ear headbands were selling flowers and glowing hearts. It felt like romance was in the air.

An Zhaoyu used to think this was boring and a bit tacky, but now it felt different. Looking at Lu Shen beside her, she felt like pink bubbles were floating above her head. If she wasn’t holding Xiao Zhou, she really wanted to walk hand-in-hand with Lu Shen.

Lu Shen seemed to sense her thoughts, or perhaps because the street was too crowded, she reached out and gently put her arm around An Zhaoyu’s waist. An Zhaoyu beamed instantly, turning to look at her with shining eyes.

“Alright, watch where you’re going,” Lu Shen said, feeling a bit self-conscious at the heat in her gaze. “Mama, I want!” An Zhou saw the glow sticks and glowing stars in others’ hands and waved her little arms excitedly. “Let’s buy one then,” Lu Shen chose a bright yellow star and placed it in her hand. An Zhou clutched it, laughing happily.

“Lu Shen, I want one too,” An Zhaoyu said, not wanting to be left out, pointing to a rack of headbands. They were all cartoon animal headbands: bunny ears, puppy ears, and kitten ears. Lu Shen frowned slightly. She really wants to wear this?

An Zhaoyu actually wanted to see Lu Shen wear one, but she knew she’d be refused. So she settled for the next best thing—buy them first; there would always be a chance to put them on later. Unfortunately, there were no bird headbands. Lu Shen chose the kitten one. The plush material was soft; a light squeeze felt like touching a kitten’s ear. The ears were white with pale pink on the inside. It looked quite cute.

“Put it on for me,” An Zhaoyu said, a bit dissatisfied that Lu Shen just held it. “…Wear it here?” With so many people around, Lu Shen felt a bit embarrassed for some reason. “Where else? Do you want me to only wear it for you to see?”

Having teased Lu Shen, An Zhaoyu smirked and lowered her head for her to put it on. An Zhou clutched her star, watching with wide eyes as “Mommy” put the kitten ears on “Mama.” Both ears stood up slightly, decorated with small paw patterns at the tips. They bobbed playfully as An Zhaoyu shook her head.

“Does it look good?” An Zhaoyu caught the baby’s hand that wanted to touch the ears and leaned into Lu Shen’s face. “It looks good,” Lu Shen’s throat felt a bit dry. She thought maybe it was because it was too childish; they were already a couple married for two years.

“Do you mean the headband looks good, or I look good?” An Zhaoyu continued. Lu Shen went silent. She felt like An Zhaoyu was… seducing her, even without releasing pheromones. Seeing her like this, An Zhaoyu knew she was shy. How can someone be so scheming yet so shy? Lu Shen’s “black-bellied” side was truly never used on her.

“Lu Shen, your hand,” An Zhaoyu nudged her, leaning against her shoulder. Lu Shen reached out and put her arm around her.

As they walked, they passed a clothing store. An Zhaoyu tilted her chin up. “Let’s go inside.” “Do you want to buy clothes?” Lu Shen was confused. Looking at the brand logo, she recognized it as one An Zhaoyu wore often.

An Zhaoyu didn’t answer yet. She led Lu Shen to the accessories section on the second floor. She had long wanted to try these accessories but hadn’t found the right chance. The kitten ears had reminded her. “Pick one for me, Dr. Lu.”

When Lu Shen saw what was on the wall, her vision nearly went dark. It was a wall of chokers.

An entire wall of black leather chokers decorated with metal studs and silver chains. They were beautiful, but given Lu Shen’s personality, she would never buy such a thing.

“What’s wrong?” Many Alphas and Omegas liked wearing these; they were very sexy. An Zhaoyu hadn’t been particularly interested before, feeling the “implications” were a bit heavy, but her outlook had changed after marriage. If it was with Lu Shen, it should be very pleasant. And even if Lu Shen wouldn’t wear one with her, seeing Lu Shen’s reaction was worth it.

She looked eager to try, so Lu Shen didn’t want to spoil the fun. She reached for the most “plain” one, which only had studs and no chains or other decorations. “So conservative,” An Zhaoyu said pointedly. “Which one do you want?” Lu Shen asked. “I want the one with the chain,” An Zhaoyu said frankly.

A chain… Lu Shen didn’t know what she was thinking of, but her face turned red uncontrollably. “What are you thinking?” An Zhaoyu’s voice was very righteous, making Lu Shen’s thoughts seem improper.

Maybe she just liked it. Lu Shen cleared her head of messy thoughts and chose one that met the requirements. An Zhaoyu handed the baby to her and tried it on herself. She had a long neck and fair skin; the choker highlighted these features perfectly. It was a mix of beautiful and cool. The lines of her neck looked even more graceful against the choker. Combined with her vibrant hair color and the kitten ears, she unintentionally drew many gazes.

“It looks very good,” Lu Shen’s gaze fell on the choker, and she tightened her hold on the baby slightly. In the mall full of mirrors, she could sense several Alphas and Omegas around them looking at An Zhaoyu with less-than-innocent eyes.

“Then I’ll take this one. Do you like it?” An Zhaoyu asked for her opinion. “I like it.”

An Zhaoyu intended to wear it to the checkout, but Lu Shen stopped her, her voice dropping. “Maybe… wear it after we get back.”

“Sure,” An Zhaoyu said with a smile, taking it off.

At the counter, Lu Shen discovered the choker actually had an accessory: a fine silver chain one meter long that could be clipped onto the choker. What nearly made Lu Shen stop breathing was when An Zhaoyu placed that silver chain into her hand.

“This is yours, Lu Shen.”

“Remember to keep me on a tight leash.”

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