Divorced and Determined: The CEO’s Ex-Wife Fights for Love

Chapter 42 Everyone Wants to Be the Little One’s Stepmom! What Wishful Thinking!

Shen Muyan had gotten Lu Qin’s food stall group chat number from Fang Ya. When she woke up in the morning, she opened her phone and downloaded the Penguin app.

Her Penguin account had been dormant for years, with a mere one-month moon level. There was no personalized signature, and her nickname, chosen randomly years ago, was ‘Thousand Hills and Twilight Snow’.

She clicked the ‘join group’ button, entered the group number, applied, and waited for the group owner’s approval…

A few seconds later, her application was approved. She was in the group. Shen Muyan’s slender fingers scrolled through the member list.

Lu Qin was the yellow-colored group owner, his avatar a cartoon boy, and his nickname was simply ‘Lu Qin’. Fang Ya was also in the group under the nickname ‘Purple Butterfly’, but she wasn’t online, her avatar was grayed out.

Shen Muyan knew Fang Ya’s lazy schedule—she wouldn’t be up until 2 PM. She clicked on Lu Qin’s avatar. He seemed rather indifferent—his profile was completely empty. Shen Muyan pursed her red lips, exited the profile, and opened the group chat window. The group was lively, with messages constantly rolling in.

Shen Muyan quickly caught a key piece of information—Lu Qin would be selling his food at 8 AM at the entrance of Sunshine Elementary School.

But then, her beautiful eyes widened in surprise. The chat kept buzzing, the atmosphere in the group was hot. But why… Why were these nicknames so outrageous?

[Lu Boss’s Girlfriend: Ate the twice-cooked pork yesterday; it was amazing! Wonder if he’s selling it this morning?]. [Yao Yao’s Stepmom: Lu Boss is single, right? I’m confessing my love today!]. [Mrs. Lu: You’re confessing today? Nope, gotta wait in line!]. [Die Without Ice Crystal Cake: I’m eating stir-fried noodles three times a day now, can’t live without it!]. [Lu Boss’s Fiancée: I bribed my husband with a box of Ice Crystal Cake yesterday, and he agreed to let me be with Lu Boss!].

Shen Muyan stared at the ridiculous nicknames in the group, speechless. The internet is not a lawless land!

Did these people really think they could all be the little one’s stepmom? Wishful thinking!

Closing the group chat, Shen Muyan got out of bed, ready to head to work. Her mood had suddenly soured, so she sent a message to her assistant, Song Xuanxuan.

[There’s a stir-fried noodle stall at the entrance of Sunshine Elementary. Buy me a portion of noodles, a serving of mung bean soup, and two boxes of Ice Crystal Cake.]. [They open at 8 AM. Go half an hour early to line up.].

This was the first time Song Xuanxuan had ever received a message from her boss that wasn’t about work. Instead, it was about breakfast.

When Song Xuanxuan saw the words ‘Ice Crystal Cake’, her eyes lit up.

Wasn’t this the same Ice Crystal Cake she had tried before? If it was…

Without a second thought, Song Xuanxuan checked the time and set off towards Sunshine Elementary an hour early.

…

Meanwhile, Lu Qin was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for Lu Xiyao. The little one was still half-asleep, barely managing to wash her face and brush her teeth before her nose twitched, catching the scent of breakfast.

“Daddy~! I’m ready~!”

Lu Qin glanced at her and noticed she hadn’t washed her face properly.

“Come here.”

He re-wet the towel and carefully wiped her face again. Breakfast was fried eggs, brown sugar buns, and soy milk. The little one ate with enthusiasm, her mouth covered in oil.

Lu Qin handed her a napkin and then packed her lunchbox. Inside were a portion of twice-cooked pork, rice, three kinds of vegetables, and a small serving of stir-fried noodles.

“Daddy~! I promised my friends at kindergarten I’d bring them some stir-fried noodles~!”

“It’s already packed.”

Lu Qin placed another portion of stir-fried noodles into the canvas bag. After finishing breakfast, he dropped off the little one at Starlight Kindergarten.

“Yao Yao, be sure to listen to your teachers and get along with your classmates,” Lu Qin reminded her.

“Daddy~! I know! Your cute little girl—aren’t you confident in me?” Lu Xiyao waved as she walked into the kindergarten, carrying her canvas bag.

The moment she entered, a swarm of children surrounded her from all directions, treating her like a star.

“Lu Xiyao, did you bring lunch today? Do you have an extra portion of stir-fried noodles?”

“Yao Yao, do you want to play with my remote-controlled plane? Can we sit together at lunch today?”

“Lu Xiyao, I just bought some crystal slime. I’ll give you a jar!”

Zhong Shuyi chimed in, “Yao Yao, I asked my family’s chef to make stir-fried noodles and mung bean soup today. Would you like to try some?”

“My grandpa also made stir-fried noodles, but it looks kind of black… not sure if it’s any good!”

Several children eyed the canvas bag in Lu Xiyao’s hand, already salivating, even though they had just finished breakfast.

…

Across from Sunshine Elementary School, a long line had mysteriously formed in an open lot. Strangely, there was nothing at the front of the line.

“What’s going on here? What are you all lining up for?”

“We’re lining up early. Boss Lu is about to set up his morning stall. If you don’t queue up now, you might not get anything.”

“Is it really that good?”

“It’s out-of-this-world amazing!”

A few minutes later, Lu Qin’s tricycle cart appeared in the crowd’s view.

“Boss Lu, over here! We saved a spot for you!”

“I crawled over here! Can you make mine first? It’s a life-or-death situation!”

“Could you come earlier? My boss says starvation doesn’t count as a workplace injury!”

“Boss Lu, stop! Let us help with setting up the stall! You don’t need to do it yourself!”

…

Lu Qin swiftly began cooking the noodles, while the boxes of mung bean soup and Ice Crystal Cake were placed on the side for customers to scan and take by themselves.

As the aroma of the stir-fried noodles filled the air, several pale and skinny customers inhaled deeply, feeling rejuvenated.

The morning customers were in a rush—most were either headed to work or school. They bought their food and left without lingering. Still, some customers were willing to risk being late for the chance to grab a portion of stir-fried noodles, truly living by the saying—A day without it feels unbearable.

After the wave of office workers and students passed, the next batch of customers consisted of retired elderly folks from the nearby neighborhood. They had a slower pace of life, and their usual breakfast staples were soy milk, fried dough sticks, buns, and congee.

They didn’t know what else to eat—until Lu Qin’s stir-fried noodle stall appeared. Now, they all opted for the noodles, leaving other breakfast options tasteless in comparison.

“Little Boss Lu, what’s this? It doesn’t look like a phone number,” an elderly woman asked, pointing at the Penguin group number written on a whiteboard, confused.

“That’s a Penguin group number. The people who join are regular customers. I notify the group where the stall will be set up each day,” Lu Qin explained patiently while cooking.

“This is great! I want to join too. How do I join this Penguin group?” The elderly woman asked, intrigued.

Among the group of elderly retired customers, some were even more tech-savvy than the younger generation. One of them helped the elderly lady register a Penguin account and join the group.

As soon as the elderly lady entered the chat and saw the numerous nicknames like ‘Lu Boss’s Girlfriend’, ‘Lu Boss’s Fiancée’, and ‘Lu Boss’s Wife’, she was taken aback.

Shocked, she exclaimed, “Lu Boss, why do you have so many girlfriends and wives? This isn’t right!”

“Polygamy is illegal!” she added, clearly concerned.