This Alpha Is So Devoted to His Wife - Chapter 82

The car slowly drove into Duyue Bay.

This was their new home, and all the lights inside were already lit.

The main gate opened with a soft ‘drip.’

“Xingxing, do we have any lemons at home?”

“Do you really want to eat one?”

“Really.”

Lu Xinghe placed the car keys on the entry table, saw how serious Duan Yuluo was about wanting one, and gently rubbed his head: “Alright, I’ll go make you some water.”

“I want to eat it raw.”

Lu Xinghe: “…”

Ten minutes later, he sat in the dining room watching Duan Yuluo eat four lemons beside him, slice by slice, without even changing his expression—eating them raw.

It made his own teeth ache just watching.

This guy had never liked sour food; the scent alone would make him pucker. Yet, he was eating lemons like this now. The doctor was right: a pregnant person’s appetite really does change. He was even skipping his favorite strawberry pudding.

“So delicious.” Duan Yuluo raised his damp hands, turned to the side, and asked: “Xingxing, can I have one more?”

Lu Xinghe pulled two wet wipes to carefully clean his hands: “No more. You shouldn’t eat lemons like that; eating too many will upset your stomach.” He finished cleaning his hands and looked up, noticing Duan Yuluo hadn’t spoken, but was just staring at him.

He knew this was how the boy acted when he was displeased, even if he didn’t outwardly show anger.

After wiping his hands completely clean, he continued: “You definitely can’t have any more lemons, but anything else you want to eat, I’ll make it for you.”

Duan Yuluo thought for a moment: “Cake.”

Lu Xinghe felt helpless. Was this guy now demanding everything he was told not to eat? “How can you have cake? You can’t eat that.”

Duan Yuluo, having been refused twice, suddenly felt a little glum. He took out the lemon flower oil that Wen Yu had given him, sniffed it with his head down, and felt slightly more comfortable. He then stood up and walked toward the elevator.

“Where are you going?” Lu Xinghe sensed his change in mood.

“To complain to my dad.”

Lu Xinghe: “…?”

Duan Yuluo glanced at him: “No lemons, no cake.”

Lu Xinghe didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He walked over and took hold of him: “Fine, I’ll have someone make it, but it’s very late, and you haven’t had dinner yet. Can we eat dinner first, and then have the cake later, okay?”

“Okay.”

Only then did Lu Xinghe rub his head and send him upstairs to shower, as he had only had a quick rinse at the hospital earlier.

He then turned to make a phone call, instructing someone to find a way to make an egg-free cake.

They hadn’t been married long; he couldn’t leave a bad impression on his father-in-law. It was just a cake; he would figure it out.

Up to this point, he hadn’t attributed any of this to the pregnancy, simply thinking his wife was having a little tantrum because he couldn’t eat what he wanted. He also suspected Duan Yuluo might be a little scared of the pregnancy due to the small, unexpected incident that evening.

Consequently, Duan Yuluo ate very little dinner and, for a rare treat, gave him the opportunity to lull him to sleep.

Being able to lull his wife to sleep was, naturally, the most blissful thing.

It wasn’t until he woke up from his sleep in the middle of the night—

He instinctively reached out to pull the person beside him into his arms, but only found empty space. He jolted upright, saw that Duan Yuluo was not there, and immediately got out of bed. He checked the bathroom and then the study, finding no one.

He quickly took the elevator downstairs.

The main hall on the first floor was dark, with only a few small lights left on, which he’d done to ensure Duan Yuluo wouldn’t bump into anything.

In the kitchen, a figure stood in front of the refrigerator, both hands gripping the fridge doors, his head peeking inside secretively as if searching for something.

Duan Yuluo rarely opened the fridge; he truly didn’t know what was inside. It was just that he was hungry and craving a midnight snack, so he stood there staring for a while before starting his search for food.

He grabbed a carton of blueberries, walked to the side to wash them, and then stood back in front of the fridge, eating the blueberries while his eyes scanned the interior for anything else to eat.

Waking up in the middle of the night to find food was rare for him; usually, he could sleep straight until morning. But tonight, he was exceptionally hungry.

After finishing the blueberries in his hand, he took an apple, washed it, and returned to the fridge. He crossed his legs, leaned comfortably against the side of the freezer, enjoying the cool air from the fridge while eating and deciding what to eat next.

He was too hungry. He should have eaten more at dinner.

It was all Lu Xinghe’s fault for not letting him have lemons or cake.

The crisp ‘crunch’ of the apple echoed in the large kitchen with a hint of frustrated force, particularly clear in the quiet of the night.

He didn’t hear the elevator door open at all.

When Lu Xinghe reached the kitchen entrance, he saw Duan Yuluo in his pajamas, supporting himself on the fridge with both hands, almost diving in to find food. His back view reeked of intense craving and was strangely adorable.

This was the first time in all their time together that he had seen Duan Yuluo wake up in the middle of the night to find food. It seemed he really was hungry.

He hadn’t eaten much earlier due to his little tantrum.

“…Are there no more blueberries?” Duan Yuluo felt the carton he’d just eaten had been so good, and he searched seriously inside the fridge, completely unaware of Lu Xinghe walking up behind him. He really couldn’t find any more, and he turned around, disappointed.

He unexpectedly stumbled right into an embrace, startled, his eyes wide until he saw who it was and finally sighed in relief.

Lu Xinghe watched the rapid change in Duan Yuluo’s expression—from fear to shock, then to annoyance—and laughed out loud. He reached out and held the other’s shoulders to steady him: “Are you hungry, Little Daddy?”

Duan Yuluo was initially annoyed from the scare, but the term ‘Little Daddy’ instantly made his ears turn red.

He turned sideways, eyes lowered, and stroked the fridge door, saying calmly: “…Well, I didn’t eat enough tonight.”

Lu Xinghe saw his wronged expression; anyone would think he hadn’t given him any food. He helplessly put his arm around his shoulders and guided him to sit down at the adjacent bar counter.

He then expertly took the black apron hanging on the wall nearby, put it on, and retrieved a portion of steak from the fridge’s crisper drawer, along with another lemon.

The kitchen lights were bright. The Alpha, wearing a black apron and cooking, had his head slightly bowed. His broad shoulders, connected to his back under his vest, created a tall and strong silhouette that, when paired with the apron, exuded the gentle air of a competent husband, adding a suggestive, hormone-fueled atmosphere that was subtly provocative.

Lu Xinghe picked up the lemon. His hand was long and his palm wide; the lemon looked small and precious in his grasp. He gently caressed the lemon’s surface with his fingertips, revealing faint blue veins on the back of his hand and arm. Simply holding a lemon somehow created a very alluring ambiance.

Naturally, he didn’t miss the love of his life sitting at the bar counter, staring fixedly at him. Showing off his physique and cooking skills accounted for about eighty percent of his motivation.

He sliced the lemon on the cutting board, removed the seeds, and placed the slices on a nearby plate for later use.

On the other side, the water in a small pot had boiled. He walked over, sprinkled some black pepper, added two spoonfuls of soy sauce, two drops of oil, and then placed the noodles into the pot.

In another pan, butter and rosemary sizzled as the steak began to fry.

Soon, a bowl of lemon steak noodle soup was ready.

Duan Yuluo rested his head in his hand, waiting for Lu Xinghe to feed him. When he saw him, wearing gloves, bring the pot over, the moment he set it down, the clear broth, the fresh lemon scent, and the doting look in Lu Xinghe’s eyes gave him an inexpressible feeling.

“I added two slices of lemon. Try it and see if it’s good.” Lu Xinghe scooped the noodles into a small bowl, added a few pieces of sliced steak, ladled some soup, and placed it in front of Duan Yuluo, handing him his chopsticks.

Duan Yuluo took the chopsticks and lowered his head to eat.

The first bite surprised him.

The house was large, and only the kitchen on the first floor was lit. The small fish tank faintly hummed with the sound of the oxygen pump, accompanied by the sound of Duan Yuluo eating his noodles. Light and sound were concentrated in the area of the kitchen.

Lu Xinghe sat opposite him at the bar counter, resting his head in his hand, watching Duan Yuluo finish the noodles, bite after bite. His eyes were full of indulgence and contentment. This was the joy of cooking and feeding his beloved—watching him earnestly eat what he had made. For him, this was happiness.

It made the years he had spent diligently learning to cook worthwhile.

“Baby, is it delicious?”

Duan Yuluo didn’t even leave the soup, tilting the bowl back to drink every last drop. The pepper-spiced soup made his body feel warm; a fine sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead and the tip of his nose. His cheeks were naturally flushed, and his eyes were bright with renewed energy.

He set the bowl down, his eyes slightly red, and looked at Lu Xinghe: “It’s so good. Your cooking is getting better and better.”

The flavor was too moving.

An inexpressible emotional reaction.

Now, he didn’t have a chance to nitpick Lu Xinghe’s cooking; it was completely tailored to his preferences.

Lu Xinghe saw the sweat on his nose and wiped it away with the back of his hand. Hearing him speak, his lips curved into a slight smile, his eyes incredibly gentle: “So delicious it made you cry?”

“It should make me cry.” Duan Yuluo cupped the bowl. He searched for words in his mind to describe it, found it difficult, and finally smiled, his eyes curving. He took hold of Lu Xinghe’s hand: “It’s too delicious. Truly, too delicious.”

“Want more?”

“I’m full.”

“Shall we go to sleep now?”

“I don’t think I can sleep right now.”

“Then what do you want to do?”

“I want to go feed the fish.”

Lu Xinghe: “…?”

In the middle of the night, feed the fish?

The lights in the garden quickly turned on, illuminating the small pond. Perhaps startled by the sudden light, the koi in the pond immediately scattered, and the water made a clear splashing sound that was distinctly audible in the night.

Duan Yuluo moved a small lounge chair to the edge of the pond. He held the fish food and leisurely dropped the pellets into the water one by one.

Soon, the scattered koi swam back to the front of the pond, popping their heads out of the water to eagerly fight for the food.

He looked at the group of chubby koi, his eyes slightly crinkled in a smile. He thought of the little baby girl he had visited at Dr. Wen’s in the hospital—healthy and chubby. This thought heightened his own sense of expectation.

He was going to have a chubby baby, too.

Lu Xinghe sat beside him, gently kneading the back of his neck. He watched him feed the fish so intently, just like a child. After a while, the thought of feeding fish in the middle of the night made him laugh softly.

“Why are you laughing at me? Do you think feeding fish at night is weird?” Duan Yuluo heard Lu Xinghe laugh, but didn’t turn around, immersed in feeding his koi. Although, deep down, he did think his request was a little inexplicable.

But he still wanted to do it.

He just really wanted to feed the fish.

“It’s not weird since I’m with you,” Lu Xinghe chuckled.

“That’s true. If it’s weird, we’re weird together.” Duan Yuluo turned sideways, pulled Lu Xinghe’s hand, and shared some fish food with him: “Throw them in one by one. After you finish, we’ll go to sleep.”

Lu Xinghe sat up, placed his hands on his thighs, and obediently tossed the fish food into the pond, pellet by pellet.

And so, in the gentle breeze of the middle of the night,

he kept his wife company, feeding the fish at three in the morning.