Lu Ningshuang felt a numbing shock.
“I know, I know—” A childish voice suddenly cut in.
Fu Junyi couldn’t see the subtle exchange between the adults, so to make sure her little aunt could spot her, the little dumpling bounced with all her might.
“Auntie, auntie, auntie! Zhi Shi is Xiao Ying’s friend who makes pretty clothes, right?”
That was the first thing that popped into the little one’s head.
Qin Yushu had already looked away. Now her gaze shifted to Fu Junyi, and Lu Ningshuang could only see the Omega’s serene profile, calm as still water.
Unruffled, as if the whirlwind she had stirred up in the center of the lake moments ago was nothing more than Lu Ningshuang’s one-sided delusion and illusion.
“Yes,” Qin Yushu said.
For an anime to captivate two generations was already impressive, especially since there were some key differences.
In that anime, genders were simply divided into male and female, with no ABO distinctions.
In their world, however, gender was first categorized as Alpha, Beta, or Omega, and only then as male or female. Once you combined those, to put it bluntly, every public space would need six restrooms instead of just two—it simply wasn’t as convenient.
Here, an Alpha with an Alpha or an Omega with an Omega was what people called same-sex romance.
Betas could pair with any of the three ABO genders and pursue free love, but most “romances” that started from emotional connections ultimately couldn’t overcome the “impossibility” imposed by pheromones. Most Betas ended up pairing with other Betas, the most conventional match.
To this day, society only recognized terms like same-A romance or same-O romance—same-B romance had never even been a thing.
Because compared to the former two, it was the absolute majority.
So pairings like male A with male O, or female A with female O, were considered normal matches—heterosexual, even.
But in that anime’s depiction, the ABO genders were removed entirely, leaving only the divide between male and female.
Did that mean relationships like the one between Xiao Ying and Zhi Shi—somewhere between friendship and something more—needed to be defined as…?
And did Qin Yushu’s preference like this signify something deeper, or was it just a simple “liking”?
Fu Junyi was only five years old this year, far from the age of differentiation, so she naturally couldn’t untangle all these twists and turns.
The little dumpling glanced at her auntie’s face and made an expression of sudden realization. “Oh! So Auntie dreamed of becoming a clothing designer when she was little.”
She wasn’t like other five-year-olds. She was smart! She could even say advanced words like “clothing designer” while still in kindergarten.
Proud.jpg
Qin Yushu looked at the child, her brows and eyes still lowered, her long, curled lashes casting shadows that hid her emotions from view.
“Perhaps I just wanted to make clothes for ‘Xiao Ying.’”
Her voice wasn’t loud. When she pronounced “Xiao Ying,” her tongue flicked lightly, deliberately slowing her pace, emphasizing the name.
Fu Junyi: “Huh?”
The little one’s small head couldn’t process that much. “That’s fine too! Xiao Ying and Zhi Shi are good friends anyway. Zhi Shi films all the scenes of Xiao Ying collecting Clow Cards. Zhi Shi’s grades are good, and she knows so, so many things…”
Fu Junyi looked at Qin Yushu, puzzled and confused at first, but her eyes gradually lit up. “Auntie really is like Zhi Shi—knows so, so many things…”
Then she shook her head.
“No, wait—New Mommy’s personality is more like Zhi Shi. Auntie is actually more like Zhi Shi’s mom.”
Qin Yushu neither confirmed nor denied it. She patted the child’s head to end the topic. “Go find a seat you like.”
“Okay~”
The café wasn’t crowded at this hour, so the little girl dashed inside with pattering footsteps, no worry of her getting lost.
Qin Yushu pushed open the glass door and tilted her head toward Lu Ningshuang. “Come in.”
Having the big boss hold the door for her—Lu Ningshuang, the wage slave, had truly made it!
She hurried in, flattered. “Thank you.”
Qin Yushu said nothing more. Once Lu Ningshuang was inside, she let go, and the glass door slowly swung shut.
Alpha and Omega—their positions had completely flipped.
Lu Ningshuang didn’t notice this at all. Even as she sat down, she was still thinking—
Qin Yushu definitely wasn’t Zhi Shi, but that attitude Zhi Shi’s mom had toward Xiao Ying’s mom… wasn’t it a bit… off?
Qin Yushu ordered herself a sugar-free coffee latte and got pure milk for little Fu Junyi.
As for Lu Ningshuang…
She was on the same level as the kid—milk for her too. She couldn’t handle even a hint of bitterness.
When Fu Junyi saw the milk placed in front of her new mommy, she thought it was for her sake. The little one’s eyes welled up with touched tears.
“…”
Ahem.
Lu Ningshuang turned her face away. She still had a shred of dignity.
Qin Yushu paid first. As Lu Ningshuang pulled out her phone to transfer the money, Qin Yushu said, “No need.”
Beside them, Fu Junyi chimed in, “New Mommy, one milk—I got this!”
She patted her chest.
“I paid,” Qin Yushu corrected.
Lu Ningshuang glanced between the two.
The prices here were affordable, not exorbitantly expensive—something even an ordinary worker like her could enjoy regularly.
After a moment’s hesitation, she decided not to quibble with President Qin over it.
Afterward, in the café, Lu Ningshuang took care of Fu Junyi—or rather, played with the little one.
Qin Yushu sat off to the side by herself.
She was still very busy. Even without her laptop, she tapped away on her phone now and then and occasionally took calls. Not even her day off brought relaxation.
Whether moving or still, sitting or standing—
That woman was a vision of ethereal beauty, her poise graceful as a crane. Every frame was exquisitely crafted, like a scroll painting of an ancient noble lady.
The café wasn’t crowded in the morning, but even the sparse customers and staff couldn’t help being drawn to this captivating beauty.
“Isn’t my little auntie pretty?”
A pair of small hands waved in front of Lu Ningshuang’s eyes—it was Fu Junyi. “Don’t stare too hard, okay?”
Lu Ningshuang hadn’t figured out how to answer her previous question when the little one put on an adult air and even sighed.
“And don’t like Auntie too much.” She turned her little head. “Don’t fall for her. No happy ending.”
No matter what mood Lu Ningshuang had been in before, this made her burst out laughing at the child’s prematurely mature tone. “Who told you that?”
“Xiao Yi is smart! Saw it on TV~” She puffed out her chest proudly.
“Auntie is a big shot, always super busy with tons of stuff every day. Coming to pick up Xiao Yi today is already her showing rare family affection—it’s hard enough. Be grateful.”
Fu Junyi comforted herself. “But it’s okay. Xiao Yi is a mature kid. Xiao Yi can take care of herself and play by herself.”
As she spoke, the little one’s eyes gazed toward Qin Yushu while she slurped her milk noisily, her chubby cheeks puffed out—adorably.
She called Qin Yushu “auntie,” so this little girl in front of her must be from her cousin’s family.
For her to help watch the child, their families must get along well.
Lu Ningshuang finally glanced at Qin Yushu, who was on the phone not far away, then looked back. She pinched Fu Junyi’s chubby cheek. “Got it.”
Unclear which statement she was responding to.
As she lowered her head, Qin Yushu also set her phone down a bit and swept her gaze over.
Their eyes just missed each other.
As noon approached, Qin Yushu and Fu Junyi needed to head back. Lu Ningshuang certainly wouldn’t tag along, especially since Qin Yushu had forbidden her from going to the little one’s home earlier…
“Then what about New Mommy?”
The little one grew anxious. “I bought New Mommy for the whole day!”
Lu Ningshuang: “…”
Thanks.
A bit touched, but not much.
“Save the rest of the half-day for next time. That way, you can see her again.”
Qin Yushu perfectly demonstrated what it meant to “start them young as capitalists.” She paused.
“Miss Lu, what do you think?”
She seemed to give Lu Ningshuang a choice, but her tone left little room for negotiation.
Having taken the money, she had to deliver.
Lu Ningshuang didn’t want the reputation of scamming a kid out of her cash—and besides, she genuinely liked Fu Junyi. “I’m fine either way. No problem.”
The little girl looked a tad aggrieved. “Okay then.”
The next second, she perked up instantly. “Then New Mommy, let’s add contacts! Next time I need you, I can find you right away.”
“Sure.”
“I have hers.”
Lu Ningshuang’s voice overlapped with Qin Yushu’s.
“Xiao Yi doesn’t have it—how could Auntie who came later have it?!” The little dumpling was shocked.
Qin Yushu spoke slowly: “She’s my employee.”
“Ohhh…” Fu Junyi’s little face went blank. “So when a company gets big enough, the whole world is full of your employees?”
She clenched her fist. “Then when Xiao Yi grows up, I’ll be a president too! I’ll have tons of company people under me, and they’ll all come play with me.”
“…”
Lu Ningshuang desperately wanted to explain that it wasn’t like that—it was just a coincidence…
Qin Yushu listened to the childish prattle and chuckled lightly. “Work hard for it.”
As if her dream had been affirmed, the bamboozled little one was thrilled beyond measure. “Okay!!!”
The car was parked right outside the coffee shop.
“Are we sending New Mommy home now?” Fu Junyi asked.
“No, no need.” Lu Ningshuang refused quickly. “I can take the bus myself.”
Last time Qin Yushu had driven her back, it was late at night—too inconvenient and unsafe for her alone. Though as an Alpha, walking at night probably wouldn’t be dangerous anyway.
Now it was broad daylight at noon—no need at all.
Qin Yushu said nothing.
She opened the car door but didn’t get in. When she straightened up, a scarf was in her hand.
The scarf was navy blue, elegant and simple, with a soft sheen—clearly matched to Qin Yushu’s outfit that day.
Then she handed it to Lu Ningshuang. “It’s a bit cold today.”
How could Lu Ningshuang dare accept it?
She leaned back tactically, even stepping away two paces, eager to put distance between them.
The beauty tilted her head slightly, her long hair brushing her cheek and ear, then cascading gracefully down her slender neck.
In this pose, glancing sideways at someone, Qin Yushu’s exquisite, stunning face gained a hint of playful amusement. Her dark eyes were deep, seemingly flirtatious without reason.
“Take it.” Her tone remained faint. “Return it next time you play with Xiao Yi.”
“Yeah, take it, take it!” Fu Junyi clapped from behind, the five-year-old automatically filling in the implication for Qin Yushu.
“Auntie’s right. It’s cold—don’t get chilled. Does New Mommy not want to play with Xiao Yi anymore?”
Qin Yushu looked over too. “Miss Lu, are you trying to welch on the deal?”
Two pairs of similar dark eyes fixed on her—
Lu Ningshuang: “Of course not!”
Almost the instant the words left her mouth, Qin Yushu was at her side. One hand rested on Lu Ningshuang’s shoulder, forcing the latter to lower her head—or perhaps, she didn’t resist anyway.
So close, she could faintly catch the scent of the other’s pheromones.
Sweet cherry flavor. If too intense, it fermented into cherry wine notes. No matter one’s tolerance, they’d unwittingly sink into this low-proof cherry wine.
Or maybe it was just too sweet.
Too sweet—needing a crisp lemon scent to balance it…
Lu Ningshuang knew everything she smelled now was an illusion, a daydream woven from past experiences.
When she came back to herself, a soft, fluffy warmth touched her neck. The navy scarf settled against Lu Ningshuang’s skin.
Little Fu Junyi poked her head out from behind, watching intently.
Her expression shifted from anticipation to confusion to bewilderment, then sudden realization—like a lightbulb flicking on above her head.
“I get it now!!!”
The little girl’s eyes sparkled. She stretched her hands into the air, fingers splayed, as if scattering flowers invisibly. “This is just like when Zhi Shi changes Xiao Ying into pretty clothes, right~?”
Qin Yushu’s fingertips lingered on the navy scarf, making them seem even more snow-white and slender.
She wrapped it once more.
The motion was nearly like a gentle embrace around Lu Ningshuang. Up close, the beauty’s brows, eyes, and red lips were vividly alluring, her gaze sweeping lazily over the Alpha now in her grasp.
Casual, indulgent.
Qin Yushu said, “I’m not her.”
