After the Divorce, My Wife Is Impossible to Coax - Chapter 54

Chapter 54

“Mama~”

Early in the morning, An Zhou’s milky little voice rang out in the bedroom. Usually at this hour, Lu Shen would have already sent her to Grandma’s.

Lu Shen struggled to open her eyes, which were heavy with exhaustion. It was all An Zhaoyu’s fault! She just had to give her that chain. It had been a long time since they had “marked” each other, and last night had been a bit excessive. For the first time, fatigue had overridden Lu Shen’s internal biological clock.

The Captain behind her was still fast asleep, completely unaffected by her daughter’s wake-up call. Lu Shen tried to get up to check on the baby, only to find the Omega holding her incredibly tight. An Zhaoyu’s hand was draped over her waist, and her legs were… in a problematic position. Lu Shen couldn’t quite tell where they were placed; after prolonged skin contact, she felt a bit numb. An Zhaoyu was clinging to her like an octopus.

“Xiao Zhou is awake,” Lu Shen whispered, her voice dry. She lightly patted the hand on her waist. On the nightstand, the insulated cup that had been full of water was now completely empty.

Under the covers, An Zhaoyu finally stirred, letting out a dissatisfied grunt and pulling Lu Shen even closer. She used to be jealous of how Lu Shen focused only on the baby upon waking; now, Captain An refused to let go, acting like a total “clinger.”

An Zhou called out again. She stood by the railing of her crib, having clearly seen her mother open her eyes. Why wasn’t she coming to pick her up?

“An Zhaoyu,” Lu Shen called her name, instinctively rattling the silver chain in her hand.

“Kiss me first,” An Zhaoyu’s voice, rough like coarse sandpaper and thick with sleep, rumbled in her ear.

Lu Shen struggled, but the person behind her wouldn’t budge. “How can I kiss you if you won’t let go?”

That made sense. An Zhaoyu let go and flipped her over. Her eyes were still closed, but Lu Shen didn’t dare look too closely. She gave her a quick peck on the cheek and prepared to get out of bed.

“Lips,” An Zhaoyu said, quickly intercepting her retreat.

Lu Shen kissed her on the mouth, and only then did the grip on her waist loosen. An Zhaoyu let out a light chuckle, the curve of her lips radiating satisfaction.

Lu Shen reached out to grab a robe from the bedside, only to find nothing but air. Her clothes had fallen to the floor at some point during the night. The baby was still looking around, her tiny dark eyes reflecting the dim morning light. Lu Shen was too embarrassed to step out of the covers naked; fortunately, a nightgown lay not far from the bed. She leaned over, reaching out a slender arm to retrieve it.

Only after dressing did she carry the baby out of the bedroom.

“Mama, what’s this?” An Zhou pointed at a mark on her neck, her voice soft and milky. “Red.”

“…It’s a bite from a little bug,” Lu Shen answered with the classic line. The child was too small for a real explanation, so Captain An would just have to suffer the indignity of being called a “little bug.”

“So many little bugs!” An Zhou chirped. Since the nightgown was loose, she tugged at the collar.

Lu Shen’s face flushed instantly. She didn’t have An Zhaoyu’s thick skin, especially when the person pointing it out was an innocent baby. After brushing the baby’s teeth and washing her face, Lu Shen placed her on the play mat in the living room and went to freshen up herself before heading to the kitchen to make breakfast.

It was the weekend, so there was no need to drop the baby off with He Nanchun. She would take her directly to the early education center later. Since An Zhaoyu had been the busy one lately, Lu Shen hadn’t spent much time in the kitchen. The space felt a bit foreign; she couldn’t even find half the things she needed. She settled for steaming a simple egg custard and warming some milk.

While she was busy, An Zhou snuck into the bedroom.

Though An Zhou didn’t fully understand that they had reconciled, she could feel the change in the atmosphere between her mothers. As soon as they had returned last night, her trampoline on the floor was gone. An Zhaoyu had dragged the mattress back to its original place and then refused to let go of Lu Shen. What happened after that… the little one truly didn’t know.

“Mama, get up-up,” An Zhou walked to the bed and climbed on.

“Sleepy…” An Zhaoyu reached a hand out from the covers and placed it over the toddler’s mouth, attempting to silence the noise.

An Zhou’s large eyes darted around. She pulled the hand away and then fished a fine silver chain out from under the covers, looking at it curiously. An Zhaoyu hadn’t even opened her eyes before she felt a tug.

“Breakfast is ready,” Lu Shen said, pushing the door open. Seeing the baby leaning over the bed with the silver chain in her hand, she was startled. “Put that down, Xiao Zhou. Quickly.”

An Zhou understood, pouting as she dropped the chain onto the duvet.

Morning sunlight spilled through the window, hitting the foot of the bed. Lu Shen looked at the Omega lying on her side. Beneath her slightly messy wine-red curls, An Zhaoyu’s brow was furrowed. Just as Lu Shen hesitated to go over and pick up the baby, An Zhaoyu threw back the covers.

The night’s “extravagance” was fully exposed: the rumpled sheets, the marks on the Captain’s body, the trash can filled with tissues and wipes, and the mingling of their pheromones. It stood in stark contrast to the neatly dressed Dr. Lu—out of place, yet perfectly logical, as she was an essential part of the scene.

It was an indictment with undeniable evidence. The suspects were each other’s victims. Lu Shen wanted a quiet settlement; An Zhaoyu wanted to argue the case in broad daylight.

“Mama, so many little bugs!” An Zhou gasped.

Lu Shen took a sharp, quiet breath. She scrambled over to pull the covers back over An Zhaoyu and covered An Zhou’s eyes, a futile attempt at “hiding her ears while stealing a bell.”

“Lu Shen?” An Zhaoyu opened her eyes slightly. “What bugs?”

Lu Shen’s skin had turned red from her neck down to her toes. She grabbed a random set of clothes from the wardrobe for An Zhaoyu and hurried the baby out of the room.

Confused, An Zhaoyu rubbed her eyes, ran a hand through her hair, and got out of bed unhurriedly. She took off the choker and left it on her pillow. She walked barefoot to the bathroom, admiring her body before feeling a pang of regret that she hadn’t seen Lu Shen’s—it must have been beautiful.

It had been two months, but Lu Shen could finally come home with her. They could stay here often. After washing up, An Zhaoyu walked to the “tropical rainforest” wall, stretching as she tied her hair. This place has so much flavor.

When she went out, the baby was already sitting on the mat eating egg custard, her eyes glued to cartoons. Lu Shen sat beside her, eyes downcast. An Zhaoyu sat on Lu Shen’s other side and began eating her own breakfast.

Lu Shen wore a collared shirt to hide the marks, while An Zhaoyu had thrown on a T-shirt. She tied her hair in a loose ponytail, leaving her neck exposed, completely unbothered by the marks on her collarbone. Lu Shen didn’t say a word about it.

This wasn’t their first time at the early education center. Today was even more crowded than before; by the time they arrived, only the last row in the corner was available. Despite their masks, the teacher recognized them immediately and greeted them. When her gaze fell on An Zhaoyu, the teacher looked a bit uneasy.

“Xiao Zhou’s parents, these are the toys for your group.”

“Great, thank you, teacher,” An Zhaoyu smiled, taking the basket of toys. The family from last time was nowhere to be seen; they likely felt too humiliated to return.

An Zhaoyu and Lu Shen walked to the corner and sat around the baby. The teacher soon began explaining the activity: training coordination by having the babies pick up toys and throw them into a designated bin. During the lecture, the teacher walked down from the podium and glanced secretly at An Zhaoyu several times. Lu Shen pursed her lips.

“Isn’t this our Xiao Zhou’s specialty? If only these balls were socks,” An Zhaoyu teased, pinching the baby’s cheek to get revenge for having a sock stuffed in her mouth the other day.

An Zhou let out a cry, attracting the teacher’s attention.

“What’s wrong, Xiao Zhou?” By the time the teacher arrived, the Captain had already hidden her hands behind her back.

“Mama pinched me!” An Zhou tattled.

“Who pinched you?” The Captain flatly denied it, then openly teased the child by pinching her other cheek.

Not to be outdone, An Zhou stood up, climbed onto her lap, and pinched her cheeks twice to get even. “Little bugs! Mama has little bugs on her neck!”

The teacher couldn’t help but laugh, then naturally took a colorful patterned silk scarf from her pocket and handed it to An Zhaoyu. “Cover it up.”

It was likely the teacher’s own, as it smelled of perfume. An Zhaoyu turned to Lu Shen. “Dr. Lu, what do you say?”

“Cover it,” Lu Shen said flatly, then pulled a plain white silk scarf from her own bag.

An Zhaoyu raised an eyebrow, took Lu Shen’s scarf, and smiled at the teacher. “Thanks, teacher, but my wife brought one.”

“That’s good then,” the teacher smiled awkwardly. If you brought one, why didn’t you put it on earlier?

“When did you bring this?” An Zhaoyu asked in a playful tone once the teacher left, tying the scarf.

“I carry one with me,” Lu Shen said. Seeing the knot was crooked, she reached out to untie and re-tie it for her. An Zhaoyu took the chance to lean in for a kiss, but Lu Shen dodged. The teacher saw this too and shook her head. Parents are so open these days.

“Just one kiss,” An Zhaoyu grumbled. “No, so many people are watching,” Lu Shen whispered. “Who’s watching? This last row is the perfect spot.” An Zhaoyu didn’t give up and finally managed to kiss her cheek through the mask.

Their movements weren’t large, but the adult next to them saw everything clearly. It was an elegant Omega in a black V-neck dress, also wearing a mask and a baseball cap, appearing even more mysterious than they were.

“Excuse me, how do you play this?” Xu Miaochun asked, holding a toy with an inquiring tone.

“Didn’t the teacher just say? Let the kid throw it into that bin,” An Zhaoyu said, a bit impatient at being interrupted.

“Understood. Thank you, Captain An.”

“Who are you?” An Zhaoyu frowned immediately. she studied the woman, but she was heavily disguised.

“A fan of yours,” she answered with a smile, then took off her mask.

She was quite beautiful, and An Zhaoyu found her oddly familiar. Lu Shen felt the same way. The woman’s gaze toward Lu Shen held a hint of hostility, which vanished when she looked at An Zhaoyu.

“Have I seen you somewhere before?”

“Maybe on TV,” she smiled brightly. “I’m not particularly famous.”

But as soon as she spoke, she was recognized. “Xu Miaochun, is that you?”

“Wow, it really is Xu Miaochun! Can I get an autograph?”

“She’s so much prettier in person!”

“Is this your kid? You have a child?!” Someone pointed at the little Alpha boy next to her. “No, this is my little nephew,” she said gently, then began signing the notebooks parents handed her.

Soon, the area turned into an impromptu fan meeting. The crowd was so thick that An Zhaoyu and Lu Shen, holding their baby, were trapped in the corner. They barely managed to squeeze their way out.

“What was that about?” An Zhaoyu was speechless. A perfectly good early education class turned into that. If she wanted to meet fans, she should have set a proper venue. There were children everywhere; if she was going to take off her mask anyway, why wear one at all?

“Let’s go,” Lu Shen said, holding the baby. Xiao Zhou had just been bumped by the crowd, and her little face was scrunched up.

More and more people surged toward them. It seemed Xu Miaochun was quite famous.

“Oh, she’s in a recent hit TV drama,” An Zhaoyu said, searching on her phone once they were in the car. “A rising starlet.”

“Mhm,” Lu Shen didn’t care much. She had no interest in the entertainment industry, but she was surprised the woman had claimed to be a fan of the Captain. For a moment, she thought the woman was trying to leech off the Captain’s fame. An Zhaoyu wasn’t a celebrity, but her achievements were greater than any star’s; she had many fans, which was why she often wore a mask in public.

“I finally know why she looks familiar,” An Zhaoyu said. She hadn’t seen the drama, but there was something familiar about her. “Lu Shen, she looks a bit like you.”

Lu Congwen’s character was poor, but he was good-looking—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to trick so many Omegas. The Lu descendants were all decent-looking, though Lu Shen was special due to her foreign mother.

“Doesn’t she?” An Zhaoyu found some photos of Xu Miaochun and showed them to Lu Shen, who was holding the baby in the back. From certain angles, she did indeed bear a resemblance to Lu Shen—something An Zhaoyu, who knew Lu Shen’s features by heart, noticed immediately.

“A little,” Lu Shen nodded.

“If you debuted, you’d definitely be famous,” An Zhaoyu said with a laugh as she put her phone away. “But I wouldn’t want that. You’re mine alone.”

Lu Shen ignored her.

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