Chapter 56 Red Bean Egg Yolk Pastry

Chapter 56 Red Bean and Egg Yolk Pastry

A few days later, Rui Rui opened the group chat, only to find it eerily quiet. He felt puzzled—why the silence?

This was a group chat he had created with the nine mermaid alphas—

"Free Time Hangout Group (10)"

When Li Hanchuan found out they had a private group, he kept a straight face but secretly took Rui Rui’s phone to add himself to the chat. Frowning, he changed the group name:

"Federal Military's 2 vs. 9 Precision Poverty Relief Task Force"

Baby Seal scratched his belly and pondered for a moment, deciding he would learn to use such formal language in the future.

At first, the group was very active. The mermaids asked all sorts of strange questions, like whether they could swim back to the ocean through the flush toilet. Rui Rui was just about to give them a science lesson when Li Hanchuan coldly sent a message:

"Perhaps check your weight first?"

The group instantly fell silent.

Rui Rui had no idea what jobs they had found. The last message was still from several days ago.

He wiped his mouth (though there was nothing there) and looked at the alpha sitting across from him, his tone hinting at accusation. "Major General, where are the mermaids working now? Why aren’t they talking in the group anymore?"

Li Hanchuan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his gaze slowly swept across the dining table.

His little wife had been fed well by him lately, full of energy every day. The pretty, rosy-lipped, fair-skinned omega was not only pleasing to the eye but had also learned to be picky with food.

"What did you call me?"

Li Hanchuan scooped all the water-boiled broccoli from Rui Rui’s plate onto his own and finished it in a few bites. He then raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

Rui Rui was stunned by such a hardcore display of eating plain boiled vegetables without batting an eye and willingly called out, "Husband."

"Where are the mermaids?"

His tone made it sound like he was afraid Li Hanchuan had shipped them off to some illegal park as black slaves.

Major General Li was pleased by the address and deigned to let out a grunt from his nose. "So worried? You really don’t trust me, do you?"

"The job I found for them offers much better pay and benefits than most people get. It’s more than enough for them to live comfortably in the Federation."

Meanwhile, the nine mermaid alphas, just off work, looked completely spaced out. Their faces and necks were covered in lipstick marks from enthusiastic fans, and their already flamboyant shirts were torn and disheveled from being pulled by the audience while dancing.

They drifted out of the bar like wandering ghosts, squinting instinctively to shield their eyes from the sunlight.

The alpha who had run away from marriage said, "Ah, I’m going to turn into foam, just like in The Little Mermaid!"

Another added, "Major General Li is so good to us. He found us such a great job with amazing pay. All we have to do is sing and dance on stage—something we’re better at than anyone."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

They all admitted they had misjudged the stern but kind-hearted Commander Sir.

Still, something felt a little off.

-

Back at the former palace grounds, various noble training classes were still being held. Rui Rui had already mastered the few courses he was interested in, leaving the bored Baby Seal free to slide and skid around on the lawn.

Eventually, he decided to check out the yoga class.

"Mmm."

A ball of coconut-gray daifuku was still hanging upside down on the yoga mat, its snout pointing up and big black eyes downward, its dopey-cute face staring directly at the teacher.

Two chubby rear flippers were precisely stepping on the hanging rings.

The other students were stunned.

This must be what it feels like when a natural-born loser encounters a martial arts prodigy! So infuriating!

The Indian elephant teacher was also dumbfounded.

He could clearly see that soft, round belly trembling uncontrollably—all fat, no muscle.

How could it unleash such strong core strength!?

"Teacher, am I doing it right—"

As he spoke, the little guy with glossy fur effortlessly struck several poses, his innocent puppy face completely relaxed, not even his whiskers twitching.

This Major General's wife was far too arrogant about his talent! The Indian elephant angrily flailed his trunk.

"Even if you’re naturally gifted, you should follow the class’s pace. Don’t act so smug just because you can do a few things!"

The flexible teacher demonstrated a handstand split, instantly earning enthusiastic cheers from the students.

The Indian elephant teacher smiled proudly.

"Can’t do this, can you?"

He looked like he was about to cry, didn’t he?

Little sesame tangyuan put away his eye moisturizer, his eyes now moist and bright.

The human world was too dry—Mr. Mmm needed a full moisturizing routine.

He glanced casually at the teacher’s pose, still wondering which bag contained the leopard claw special hand cream, while his two little paws naturally pressed into a handstand, his sturdy, chubby tail pointing straight up.

Then, his two rear flippers split apart, one forward, one backward.

Though not as long as human legs, the split was wide and clear. The Indian elephant teacher’s smile finally broke. "You… you…!"

"This is a high-difficulty yoga pose! Are you here to cause trouble?!"

Rui Rui genuinely felt a little wronged and hurriedly shook his round little head.

"No, mmm!"

The little one quickly performed a single-legged downward dog and a shoulder stand, explaining, "I usually play like this in the ocean. Please don’t misunderstand me."

The teacher fell silent for a moment before saying shamefully, "Madam, your body is too flexible. I have nothing left to teach you."

Baby Seal sighed and hopped out of the classroom.

How boring.

One student wanted to chase after him and ask if this mysterious janitor monk offered private lessons, but a companion stopped him. "Are you stupid? This is Major General's wife—the one in that big controversy recently. Why would he teach you?"

Baby Seal moved on to the dance class next door.

But after watching for a while, Rui Rui grew bored and began scratching his belly.

If you ask Rui Rui what his favorite dance was, it would have to be the one from that private little training class at the edge of the slums—dancing with wild abandon, forgetting everything.

The venue had long been shut down by the Major General's crackdown, and that feeling of gradually letting go and freeing himself could never be found again.

Young Mrs. Rui Rui regretfully left the building.

In a spot unnoticed by security, a cobra slithered silently through the gaps in the iron fence and slid into the compound.

The little snake crept stealthily along the base of the wall, hissing, tongue flickering.

“Oh? So this is where Mrs. Rui Rui takes her classes?”

He had recently been caught running a strip tease class again and was struggling financially. Just after getting out, he heard some interesting news and came here specifically to make a killing.

The cobra Omega recoiled: “Huh? An earthquake?”

Not far away, a soft, gray, spherical shape bounced closer, humming a tune. The newly laid marble tiles inadvertently showed a few loose cracks.

The cobra couldn’t mistake it—this was the seal he was after. Immediately, he slithered in an S-curve.

“Sss! Sss!”

“Mrs. Rui Rui, though it may not be very ethical of me, I’m sure you wouldn’t want your husband to know that you actually—”

Suddenly, everything went dark as a large, solid belly came down from above. Mochi passed by without a second glance, a small question mark briefly appearing above its head before vanishing.

Were the floor tiles coming up?

Tsk, the quality's really not up to snuff.

The cobra, whose information was at least three months behind, had now been flattened from 3D to 2D, temporarily unconscious.

The lazy little seal headed to a familiar old place.

Baking class.

“Teacher Capy, long time no see.” The blonde, blue-eyed Omega walked into the classroom smiling.

The Beta baker, who was preparing ingredients, quickly put down what he was holding and replied slowly, “Mrs. Rui, it’s good to see you again. I hope the Major General hasn’t given you any trouble?”

The baker was a capybara demi-human, usually methodical and unhurried in everything he did.

Only when the cookies burned would he patiently advise his students to control the heat. He’d only hurry home after getting drenched in the rain, finally going “Oops!” and running home.

The ladies who graduated under his guidance were all exceptionally diligent and great self-starters.

After chatting for a while, Rui Rui looked around at the new wave of students, with the distinct feeling of a legendary alumnus returning to visit the teacher while casually looking down on all the newbies.

“By the way, if you have time, would you consider coming back regularly as a teacher's aide?”

Teacher Capybara spoke in his measured way. Beneath the collar of his pristine chef’s uniform, a string of Buddhist prayer beads was visible. He chuckled, “I broke my arm a while back.”

Rui Rui’s face paled, only now noticing that the capybara had been handling things with one hand the whole time.

He hurriedly took the mixing spoon and said anxiously, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Of course I’ll come back to help!”

Capybara: “I just forgot.”

Just as Rui Rui was speechless, a slick-haired, well-dressed Alpha strode in, shouting, “So you just spend all your time hiding out in useless places like this, lazing around, huh?!”

The baking class was mostly Omegas, with even Betas being rare.

The sudden intrusion of the Alpha’s garlic-scented pheromones made everyone immediately uncomfortable, frowning and covering their noses.

A delicate sea otter Omega woman was dragged out, stumbling and stammering, “But you said I could learn…”

“You believed what I said when I was drunk? Why don't you just listen and stay home to take care of the family?” the Alpha snarled angrily.

He scooped up some cream and put it in his mouth, then scowled in disgust.

“Making these sickly sweet things—only you like them! Selfish woman! Come home with me!”

The woman backed away repeatedly. To avoid him, she transformed back into a fluffy sea otter. Afraid her husband would ruin her hard work, she quickly picked up a few cookies and stuffed them into the pouch on her belly.

She nimbly twisted away, weaving between the workstations.

Rui Rui frowned, his fair face clouding with displeasure. “Who is he?”

“This is the president of the Haicheng Chamber of Commerce. He’s been causing trouble here these past few days. I'm used to calming him down by now—just wait a moment.”

With that, the Beta capybara stepped forward to intervene.

His narrow eyes made him look completely harmless as he pulled out the Buddhist prayer beads around his neck. With an air of serenity, he began persuading, “President Hai, first of all, this is an Omega space. There are distinctions between ABO, so it’s not appropriate for you to come here often.”

Seeing his calm and gentle approach, Rui Rui felt somewhat reassured.

As expected of the teacher…

In a Tang Seng-like tone, the capybara went on, “Secondly, although we are all animals at heart, we’ve chosen to become human. If you spend all day yelling and threatening your wife, how are you any different from a beast?”

“Huh?” Rui Rui had a bad feeling.

The sea otter Alpha's face flushed crimson with anger: “What did you say?!”

Teacher Capybara earnestly advised, “The public perception of male sea otters isn’t great to begin with. You’re just asking for…”

Before he could finish, Teacher Ka, still holding his prayer beads, was punched to the ground by the furious chamber president: “Say that again, you bastard!”

The once harmonious atmosphere in the classroom was instantly shattered.

Screams from the Omegas rose one after another. The capybara teacher, knocked down near Rui Rui’s feet, shifted back to his original form—a brown lump on all fours—and said slowly, “I forgot to mention that this arm was also injured by him.”

Rui Rui: “…”

Was this really the time to explain that?

“Teacher, you’re bleeding!” Rui Rui was horrified and hurriedly took out a handkerchief to staunch the wound.

He had never intentionally used his privileges before, but this time he was willing to fight fire with fire. The slender, elegant Omega stood tall, his clear eyes fixed firmly on the arrogant Alpha.

“Haicheng Chamber of Commerce, is it?”

“My husband is Federal Major General Li Hanchuan.”

The man’s expression indeed changed, but he stubbornly retorted, “S-so what? Are public officials trying to bully us small business owners now?!”

“No.”

The omega leisurely rolled up his sleeves, revealing pale forearms. His movements were so elegant and refined, as if he were about to grind ink or arrange flowers.

There was no hint of aggression, only a breathtaking beauty and the faint scent of premium berry pheromones.

The golden-haired beauty lifted his long lashes and spoke modestly—

"He taught me some grappling techniques, though I might not be very skilled at using them."

The alpha was still staring blankly at the arm as pale and soft as tofu: "What?"

In a flash, the alpha’s arm was suddenly seized. The omega moved swiftly, nimbly twisting to lock his ankle and slamming his elbow down with full force into the alpha’s scent gland at the back of his neck!

A heavy, dull thud echoed!

It all happened in just two or three seconds. The arrogant and domineering president of the Chamber of Commerce didn’t even let out a cry before collapsing limply to the ground under the stunned gazes of everyone, unconscious.

At the same moment, a group of police officers hurriedly filed into the room.

The rabbit omega officer paused for a moment upon seeing Rui Rui’s delicate, vulnerable face. The girl flashed her badge and then asked, "Madam, have I met you somewhere before?"

Rui Rui nodded slightly, lowering his delicate chin, appearing exceptionally fragile.

The next second, a perfectly round Mochi appeared.

He said softly, "Officer Rabbit, congratulations on returning to your post."

Pouting, he pointed forcefully at the unconscious man on the ground. Suddenly, with tear-filled eyes, he turned to the group of officers and sobbed, "As soon as I arrived, I saw him attacking the teacher. I was absolutely terrified!"

"Wahhh—!"