This Alpha Is So Devoted to His Wife - Chapter 10

“Oh no, what should I do, Daddy?”

In the Luo family’s living room.

Duan Yu Luo, wearing a pink sweater, is sprawled across a big teddy bear on the floor. He has a bottle in his mouth filled with a dark liquid—his medicine. His legs are crossed, and he looks quite content.

He’s playing with the Ultraman Rubik’s Cube his friend gave him, his small hands moving with skilled familiarity. He can now solve the cube almost without looking.

The allergic rash on his little face has mostly healed, with only a few tiny red dots remaining. However, he has lost some of the chubbiness in his cheeks from being sick.

His dad is sitting next to him, polishing his violin. He looks at his younger son curiously when he hears him. “What’s wrong?”

“I kind of miss my good friend.” Duan Yu Luo holds the bottle, puts down the cube. There’s still half a bottle of medicine left. His face looks sad. “What should I do?”

His dad laughs. “Didn’t you just see Xing Xing last night? It’s not like you haven’t seen each other for days.”

These two little guys are like star-crossed lovers.

“It’s not the same.” Duan Yu Luo sits up from the teddy bear and turns to his dad, his expression serious. “Daddy, let me tell you. Xing Xing only has me as a friend at kindergarten. If I’m not there, I’m scared he’ll get bullied!”

His dad: “?” That kid is the tallest in the class; how could he get bullied? He looks at his own little boy, who’s not even a meter tall, and laughs. “So you protect him all the time?”

“Of course!” Duan Yu Luo holds up the bottle, puffs out his chest, and pats it proudly. “Some kids make fun of him for his funny Mandarin, so I tell them off. If my brother bullies him, I’ll tell him off, too. I treat everyone equally.”

His dad is amused. He pokes the little guy’s nose. “You know what ‘treat everyone equally’ means, baby.”

Duan Yu Luo leans in and hugs his dad’s arm, pouting and begging. “Daddy, when can I go back to kindergarten? I really need to go back and protect Xing Xing.”

“You like Xing Xing that much?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Because he plays Ultraman transformations with me.” Duan Yu Luo blinks, his eyes showing the innocence of his age. “I just like him.”

His dad smiles, thinking about it. He knows this. His older son doesn’t like to play Ultraman, so his younger son probably knows it’s pointless to ask him. He doesn’t want to interfere with his son’s friendships. He sees there’s still half a bottle of medicine left and taps the bottle.

“Don’t try to get away with it. You have to finish your medicine.”

“Daddy, if I finish it, can you let me go back to kindergarten?”

His dad sees that his son’s cheeks only have a few visible red spots left and that the rest of his skin has recovered. He lightly pinches his cheek and teases him. “Do you miss your brother?”

“I miss Xing Xing. I see my brother every day, so I don’t miss him.”

At this moment, in the junior class at kindergarten.

“Achoo—”

His brother, Luo Yu Duan, is eating when he suddenly sneezes. Lu Xing He stops with his spoon and looks at him. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine,” his brother, Luo Yu Duan, says, rubbing his nose. He sees that Lu Xing He hasn’t touched his big bowl of rice. “Are you sick? Why aren’t you eating again?”

Duan Yu Luo has been absent for a week, and Lu Xing He hasn’t finished his meals, which the teacher has told his parents about.

Lu Xing He thinks for a moment and nods seriously. “Yes, my mom said I’m sick. This is lovesick.”

His brother, Luo Yu Duan: “?” What is lovesick?

Lu Xing He lowers his head, looking sad. He pokes the rice in his bowl with his spoon. “Don’t you miss Zai Zai? I do.”

Luo Yu Duan: “…” He spoons a big mouthful of rice into his mouth. What’s there to miss when I see him every day?

Lu Xing He puts down his spoon and rests his face on his hand, looking gloomy. “Without Zai Zai, the food isn’t tasty. So sad.”

Luo Yu Duan doesn’t understand what’s so sad about this. He spoons another big mouthful of rice. “I can see Zai Zai when I go home. You can’t.”

Lu Xing He, already a little sad, hears this and feels like his world is collapsing. His eyes instantly turn red. He picks up his rice bowl, turns to face the wall, and starts silently crying.

Luo Yu Duan peeks at him from the side. Before he can swallow the rice in his mouth, he raises his little hand. “Teacher, Lu Xing He is crying again.”

The teacher sees this and immediately goes to Lu Xing He’s side. She squats in front of him. “What’s wrong, Xing Xing? You don’t want to eat?”

“I miss Zai Zai,” Lu Xing He says, his voice choked up, his eyes red.

The teacher is also troubled by Lu Xing He’s crying. This little boy is normally the most composed one in the class, but ever since Duan Yu Luo was absent last week, his mood has been off. He’s a textbook case of not being able to eat or drink.

She can only use her last resort to coax him. “Only if you eat well will Zai Zai come back. You haven’t eaten properly for days. If Zai Zai finds out, he’ll learn from you. Aren’t you Zai Zai’s best role model?”

Luo Yu Duan has already finished his meal. He deliberately holds his bowl out to Lu Xing He. “I’m in first place. If you don’t eat, I’ll tell my brother when I get home.”

Lu Xing He quickly turns around and sits up straight. He picks up his rice and eats in big bites. At the same time, he looks nervously at Luo Yu Duan. His mouth is full of rice, and he mumbles, “Don’t talk to him. I’m eating.”

The teacher smiles and pats Lu Xing He’s head. “Go, Bennett, eat up. When Zai Zai comes back to kindergarten, you’ll still be his role model.”

It’s dismissal time.

Duan Yu Luo is practicing his handwriting in the living room. He hears the front door open, quickly puts down his pen, and his little head “whooshes” up. His eyes are bright with anticipation as he stares at the hallway outside the living room. “Xing Xing, are you back?”

His brother, Luo Yu Duan, walks in with his small backpack. “…” He looks at his brother, who’s sitting in front of the coffee table in his pajamas, with a sad expression. “It’s your brother who’s back.”

“Oh,” Duan Yu Luo says, pouting, a little disappointed. “It’s just brother. I thought my Xing Xing was here.”

At that moment, another voice is heard.

“I’m here, too.”

Duan Yu Luo’s little head lifts up again, and he sees the Lu Xing He he’s been thinking about. If he had a tail, it would probably be wagging.

He jumps up, excitedly opening his arms to Lu Xing He. “Xing Xing, you’re back! I missed you so much!” He then does an Ultraman transformation pose.

Lu Xing He is holding a gift behind his back with one hand. When he sees Duan Yu Luo transforming, he naturally plays along. The gift in his hand is accidentally revealed, and his eyes look a little regretful. It was supposed to be a surprise.

Duan Yu Luo’s eyes light up when he sees the Ultraman in Lu Xing He’s hand. He pounces on him without thinking. “Is that a gift for me?”

“Mmm,” Lu Xing He says, handing it to him.

The two little boys share a warm hug.

His biological brother, Luo Yu Duan: “…”

How come Lu Xing He feels more like Duan Yu Luo’s brother?

“A little,” Lu Xing He says, letting go of Duan Yu Luo and poking the red spots that are still on his fair cheek. “Is it still itchy?”

Duan Yu Luo shakes his head, but then he thinks about it and smiles, nodding.

Lu Xing He: “?”

Duan Yu Luo gives a sweet, childlike laugh. He points at his face with his little hand and leans in. “If Xing Xing blows on it, it won’t be itchy anymore!”

Lu Xing He hears that his good friend wants him to blow on it, so he naturally does. He lowers his head and blows on the last little red spot on his face, very, very seriously.

Duan Yu Luo is happy now. The blowing tickles his cheek, and he laughs happily.

The adults nearby are used to this by now. They smile and don’t say anything. These two little guys are like a soap opera every day.

That night, the two families have dinner together again.

“Daddy, Dad, the teacher said we’re going on a field trip next week.” During dinner, his brother, Luo Yu Duan, remembers what the teacher told them today. He sees his brother being a picky eater again and trying to give the carrots he doesn’t like to Lu Xing He. “The teacher also said that picky eaters can’t go on the field trip.”

Duan Yu Luo, who thought he was getting away with a little mischief, is “…”

The spoon in his little hand trembles for a second. He quietly puts the carrot he was about to give to Lu Xing He into his own mouth like a martyr facing death. He eats it in big bites and even smiles to show that he loves it.

He’s so scared he won’t get to go on the field trip.

After all, what kid doesn’t want to go out and play?

His brother, Luo Yu Duan, feels a little accomplished that he successfully fooled his picky brother. At that moment, Lu Xing He says something.

“You can still go even if you don’t eat carrots. If Zai Zai wants to go, he can go.” Lu Xing He sees Duan Yu Luo wrinkling his nose while eating the carrots next to him. He scoops the remaining carrots from his divided plate onto his own and eats them for him.

This makes the dads, who already have a headache from the little troublemaker’s picky eating, even more troubled.

“Bennett, if you keep telling Zai Zai that, he’ll never want to eat these vegetables. You won’t grow tall if you don’t eat vegetables.” His dad, Luo Songran, can’t help but say to Lu Xing He.

“He’s still cute even if he’s small,” Lu Xing He says sincerely. “Really cute.”

The dads: “…”

How much does this little friend love our son? It must be a blind love.

A gentle autumn breeze blows, and the ginkgo leaves fall in the November sky.

One after another, yellow kindergarten buses stop at the forest park. The bus doors open, and the teachers in charge of the groups get off first, followed by the little children in their English-style uniforms, who slowly get off the bus with their small backpacks.

“Hold hands.”

Lu Xing He gets off the bus first and holds out his hand to Duan Yu Luo, who is holding on to the bus door to get off. He wants to help him down.

Duan Yu Luo is wearing the hat Lu Xing He gave him. He sees Lu Xing He’s outstretched hand and jumps from the last step.

His short legs aren’t long, but his guts are big. He almost falls, but luckily the teacher and Lu Xing He catch him.

“Zai Zai, that’s too dangerous! You can’t jump like that!” The teacher quickly grabs the little guy, scared out of her wits.

“It’s bad.” Lu Xing He also holds Duan Yu Luo’s arm. He sees his friend’s guilty expression and shakes his head, criticizing him. “You can’t do that. I don’t like it when you do that.”

Duan Yu Luo hears Lu Xing He’s criticism. He’s probably not used to being criticized. He pouts, a little unhappy. He holds his arms and stands on the side, refusing to move.

His brother, Luo Yu Duan, who gets off the bus after him, sees that his brother seems to be throwing a tantrum. He instinctively looks at Lu Xing He and sees him standing silently next to the teacher. He thinks the two of them had a fight.

He walks to his brother and asks quietly, “Did you guys fight?”

“Hmph, no we didn’t,” Duan Yu Luo says, his arms crossed, turning his face away from his brother.

His brother, Luo Yu Duan, is rarely a witness to his brother getting angry, so he’s a little curious.

After the teacher checks all the children, she splits them into front, middle, and back groups and leads them into the park. The two good friends who always hold hands are now walking far apart, one in the front and one at the very back.

Ginkgo leaves fall from the trees on both sides of the sidewalk, swirling and twirling as they land on the ground. A single ginkgo leaf gently lands on a hat.

Duan Yu Luo feels something. He looks up and reaches for his hat. He takes it off and sees a golden yellow leaf on it, a leaf shaped like a small fan.

He looks at the leaf in his hand, then at the other falling leaves, and it seems to give him an idea.

So he does something very bold. He sees the teacher, Teacher Hua Hua, walk forward and quietly runs to a big tree on the side. He takes off his backpack and empties all his snacks and clothes.

Just then, a gust of wind blows, and the ginkgo leaves flutter down, swaying and falling into his little backpack.

Under the giant ginkgo tree, the pretty little boy raises his backpack with great effort, trying to fill it with autumn.

Then he will give it to his good friend.

That will surely make him like me again.