Chapter 18

Although Jiang Bailu felt uneasy, she still took a deep breath, her gaze clear and steady.

Although Deliberate Love was a major IP, because it was a campus drama, it couldn’t really be considered a large-scale production. Director Guo had filmed several low-budget web dramas in the industry. They hadn’t gained much popularity, but their quality was excellent.

Not to mention that the screenwriter was Luo Yin, the original author herself. With such a powerful combination, fans of the novel had been brimming with anticipation.

Until rumors spread online that Zhai You would be joining the cast—

Its reputation immediately plummeted…

Even so, plenty of celebrities both big and small still hoped for a chance to appear in it. As long as they managed to show their face for even a moment, it could be a tremendous boost to their future acting careers.

Jiang Bailu was still a newcomer. If she landed the female lead role, there was no doubt that she could become famous overnight and step into a dazzling career beneath the spotlight!

But Jiang Bailu wasn’t thinking about her future stardom. She was wondering whether she could truly seize this opportunity.

She was still a newcomer, which meant even more eyes would be scrutinizing her.

Perhaps… only slightly fewer than the number scrutinizing Zhai You.

Jiang Bailu came back to her senses. Back when the screenwriter had invited her to play one of the supporting roles, she had been ecstatic. But afterward, the screenwriter had privately approached her and said that Zhai You was bringing investment into the production and would probably block her from getting the role.

At the time, Jiang Bailu hadn’t cared much.

She had just learned that her mother had been diagnosed with cancer.

And now, in the blink of an eye, she had gone from a supporting character to the female lead.

Jiang Bailu’s entire body tensed defensively again.

“Are you trying to use an unspoken rule on me…?”

Jiang Bailu nervously gripped the doorknob. Her hand was slender and snow-white, and because her skin was so pale and she was gripping it so tightly, the blue veins beneath her skin stood out clearly.

Zhai You glanced at it before leaning in Read on BaiLianTales and pressing closer. “You’re already my legally recognized wife.”

Why would helping her own wife count as an unspoken rule?

Jiang Bailu stiffened at those words. She released the doorknob and unconsciously shifted her body to the side, hesitating internally for a long time.

Then Zhai You’s warm fingers touched the back of her neck.

Jiang Bailu raised her head slightly and saw Zhai You’s little pointed canine tooth peeking out, looking eager to try.

It looked like it would hurt.

Jiang Bailu’s pupils trembled.

She forcefully pushed Zhai You away. “N-No.”

Zhai You’s hand met empty air. Before Jiang Bailu could say anything else, Zhai You sniffed lightly. “Your pheromones are really unstable right now.”

Buzz—

Jiang Bailu’s entire face instantly turned scarlet.

She looked into Zhai You’s eyes and found them dark, though her gaze was still relatively calm. Jiang Bailu couldn’t help pressing a hand over the back of her neck and biting her lower lip in irritation.

Why had she lost control of her pheromones again?

Jiang Bailu was so embarrassed that she wanted to flee on the spot.

She suddenly began stammering from shame. “Maybe it’s because I haven’t been feeling well these past few days. I’ll take suppressants as soon as possible. Don’t come near me.”

Zhai You lowered her head, looking nonchalant.

“In any case, the agreement never said we had to satisfy each other’s physical needs, right?”

That was Jiang Bailu’s refusal.

Zhai You felt incredibly frustrated.

She stared at the earlobes of the woman in front of her, flushed so beautifully and temptingly red.

The original owner’s room was completely saturated with Jiang Bailu’s pheromones. The moment the door opened, the scent rushed straight at Zhai You, practically gluing her feet to the floor and making her want to linger a little longer instead of leaving.

Why did Jiang Bailu have so many pheromones?

And why did her gland look so incredibly biteable?

Zhai You had touched it just now. There was something like soft cartilage at the back of Jiang Bailu’s neck, and the closer she got to it, the stronger the sweet fragrance became.

It was practically like the most delicious candy in the entire world, making Zhai You desperately want a taste.

She uncontrollably opened her mouth, just about to bite down.

After Jiang Bailu broke free, Zhai You desperately focused on one thing: how could she get Jiang Bailu to agree naturally without making her suspicious?

“You…” Zhai You opened her mouth, then couldn’t help frowning.

What had they been talking about just now?

Jiang Bailu playing the female lead, and then Jiang Bailu asking whether Zhai You wanted to use an unspoken rule on her.

Tsk.

Why was she suddenly starting to envy the original owner at a time like this?

Sure, she was a scumbag, but at least she could…

No, no more thinking about that.

A wife-chasing crematorium arc or whatever was absolutely unacceptable. Things were already painful enough as they were.

Zhai You noticed Jiang Bailu’s gaze wandering. She raised an eyebrow and only then suddenly remembered—

Right.

Alphas and Omegas attracted each other.

She wasn’t the only one affected by heat.

Jiang Bailu was too.

Once she realized this, Zhai You lightly bumped Jiang Bailu’s leg with her own. “What are you thinking about?”

“You…”

“You’re staring at me like that. Could it be that you have some other ideas?” Zhai You lifted her chin as if she had no concept of embarrassment, her gaze full of pride.

It was as though she were triumphantly declaring that, sure enough, no one could resist her charm.

Jiang Bailu: “……”

If Zhai You’s pheromones didn’t genuinely smell so good, [Read on BaiLianTales]and if that face weren’t genuinely so beautiful…

“You already said you haven’t been feeling well, yet you still want to take suppressants. Are you not afraid you’ll collapse again, or do you think you’re important enough to make the entire production wait for you?”

Jiang Bailu fell silent.

“But losing control of your pheromones really isn’t appropriate, don’t you agree?”

Zhai You’s hand approached once again. Her eyes carried just the right amount of temptation, and the final syllables of her voice dipped with an almost intoxicating softness.

“How about a temporary mark?”

You’re my wife now anyway.

Zhai You’s naturally blunt, thoroughly Alpha aura was so effortless and convincing that Jiang Bailu couldn’t even think of anything else.

Come to think of it, a temporary mark really wasn’t a big deal.

Her thick, slightly curled eyelashes lifted. Meeting Zhai You’s bright and energetic eyes, Jiang Bailu felt that her personality really did seem a little naive.

Perhaps the butler had been right after all.

Maybe all those things she had done before really had been because those disreputable friends of hers had led her astray.

At that moment, Jiang Bailu actually felt a little pity for her.

She relaxed her resistance and voluntarily exposed her fair neck. “Then be gentle.”

Zhai You still had no idea she was being regarded as some foolish puppy.

Excitedly licking her canine tooth, she wanted to say that this was also her first time marking anyone and that she was relying entirely on instinct, but she wisely kept her mouth shut, afraid Jiang Bailu might regret agreeing.

She carefully buried her head into the hollow of Jiang Bailu’s shoulder, aligning her canine tooth with the gland that was releasing those sweet pheromones.

One second, she was still thinking, Gentle. Be gentle.

The next second, the last string of reason in her mind snapped.

She bit down.

Wantonly drawing in those sweet pheromones.

Pain appeared on Jiang Bailu’s face, yet strangely, she also felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance.

She grabbed Zhai You’s back, her fingers digging in and leaving twisted marks behind.

*

In the morning, sunlight streamed in through the window frames, illuminating the entire room.

On the lavish bed that looked as extravagant as something from a palace, Zhai You was sleeping… on her stomach.

Her back still hurt a little.

She woke up with a thoroughly confused expression, looked left and right, then blindly bailiantales.comreached to the side with one hand, badly wanting to pull something into her arms and go back to sleep.

She irritably ruffled her hair.

It had only been a temporary mark.

How had things ended up like that?

She even had to be extremely careful while changing clothes.

She really had been reckless yesterday. Seeing Jiang Bailu’s face twisted with pain, her brows tightly furrowed and her lips pressed into a thin line, had sent Zhai You into a panic.

Even after returning to her room, she had kept searching online, and everything she found said that this was normal.

Then she checked the “shelf life.”

Three whole months.

She felt both distressed and a little dazed.

Three months until the next temporary marking.

That was so long…

When she went downstairs, Father Zhai and Mother Zhai had already flown back and were sweetly eating breakfast together.

Seeing the food on the table, Zhai You rubbed her throbbing head, then looked toward Jiang Bailu, who was walking down the stairs.

Jiang Bailu had already heard Father Zhai and Mother Zhai return, but because she didn’t want to run into them directly, she had deliberately waited until Zhai You came out before heading downstairs.

Jiang Bailu also looked toward Zhai You.

What happened last night had made her feel that Zhai You really wasn’t quite like the person described in the rumors.

She was actually a little silly.

And that, in turn, made Jiang Bailu feel as though unauthorized copyshe might have misunderstood her, leaving her somewhat guilty.

When she saw Zhai You today, she even took the initiative to greet her. “Is your back okay?”

That had also been Jiang Bailu’s first time being marked. She had been completely unprepared and had used a little too much force.

The dining table went silent for several seconds.

Father Zhai thoughtfully looked at her foolish daughter and gave a cold laugh. “If it hurts that much, I can have a dozen doctors line up right now to treat your wounds.”

!!!

What kind of public execution would that be?

Wouldn’t that basically be announcing to everyone, in broad daylight—

that Zhai You was a pathetic weakling?!

Zhai You calmly sat down and said indifferently, “It’s stolen contentjust a minor injury. What about you? Are you okay?”

Jiang Bailu’s eyelashes trembled. She glanced at Mother Zhai before walking over and sitting beside Zhai You.

“It still hurts a little.”

Her voice sounded almost like a wronged little complaint.

The hand Zhai You had raised to lift her cup and conceal her panic froze.

She suddenly felt that their relationship seemed to have become considerably closer.

Zhai You suppressed the secret delight in her heart. “I’ll be more careful next time.”

Father Zhai and Mother Zhai: “……”

Mother Zhai turned her head away, avoiding the toast Father Zhai had been about to feed her.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and scrutinized Jiang Bailu, who now looked much more at ease.

Well, no wonder.

After something like that had happened between them…

Did Jiang Bailu now feel she had something to rely on?

Mother Zhai sneered coldly. “It seems Youyou is very satisfied with you. I hope you can get pregnant soon, so that…”

Mother Zhai looked critically over Jiang Bailu’s face.

This time, it was Zhai You and Jiang Bailu who fell silent.

“Come shopping with me after breakfast.” After saying that, Zhai You shut up and focused on eating.

This was the most correct strategy when facing the great Mother herself.

“Okay.” Jiang Bailu’s brows relaxed.

The floors of the Zhai family’s grand hall had been polished until they gleamed like mirrors, while fresh flowers were arranged everywhere.

The extravagant palace-style decor only emphasized the Zhai family’s wealth even more.

And Jiang Bailu, wearing pajamas from Zhai You’s wardrobe, looked completely out of place, like some poor little thing who wasn’t favored at all.

Aside from the pajamas, the only other clothes she had were the outfit she had worn here, which the butler had already found an excuse to throw away.

But she couldn’t exactly go outside wearing pajamas.

Yet the wardrobe only contained Zhai You’s original clothes.

Zhai You was a full head taller than Jiang Bailu and especially liked red and black outfits that showed off her figure.

Jiang Bailu didn’t like that style.

It was far too flashy.

With Zhai You’s permission, she searched through the wardrobe for ages before finally finding a black dress.

Who knew how long Zhai You had left this dress buried in the wardrobe?

The tag hadn’t even been removed.

Zhai You had also once been poor and didn’t care about brands or styles. She simply thought Jiang Bailu looked quite good in it.

Jiang Bailu was already fair-skinned, and black made her look even paler.

Now she looked almost like a porcelain doll.

As for Jiang Bailu, between worrying about her studies and her family, she rarely read fashion magazines either.

Put the two of them together, and neither realized that this outfit…

had gone out of style years ago.

The butler noticed.

His eyes darkened as he wondered how Young Miss’s wardrobe could possibly still contain clothes from several years ago.

But after seeing that Jiang Bailu was the one wearing it, his lips curled slightly and he said nothing.

He turned around and instructed the servants to organize Young Miss’s wardrobe, while also calling a store and asking them to send over the latest seasonal styles, preparing everything in advance for Zhai You, who never bothered worrying about such things.

Zhai You truly never worried about them.

Every morning after she woke up, servants would prepare to apply body lotion over her entire body. Her routine was meticulous down to her daily perfume, and even her nails were always neatly trimmed.

Only recently had Zhai You stopped bothering with all that. Every day, she wore only light makeup, relying almost entirely on her naturally striking features to carry her beauty.

The luxury car had already been driven to the entrance by the chauffeur.

Zhai You leaned arrogantly against [bailiantales.com]the side of the car, her entire body radiating a wildly confident aura as she waited for Jiang Bailu to come over.

The moment Jiang Bailu arrived, the car keys were tossed into her hands.

Zhai You flicked her red hair. “Get in.”

Holding the car keys, Jiang Bailu finally began to “understand.”

Zhai You probably treated her like a subordinate she could order around.

She walked to the driver’s seat and fastened her seat belt. When she lifted her head, she discovered that the floral-scented car fragrance had been replaced by a fairy-tale-like candy scent.

She really was a child.

Jiang Bailu shook her head indulgently and drove forward.

Zhai You: The whole car smells like Jiang Bailu now. Wonderful. Telling the chauffeur to change the car fragrance was absolutely worth it.

They arrived at the shopping district with the highest average spending in the city.

The streets were filled with beautiful people being photographed, wearing fashionable clothes that showed off their attractive figures. Naturally, there were plenty of men among them as well.

Zhai You didn’t spare any of them a glance.

After getting out of the car, she looked around.

Then she spotted a place surrounded by people.

Qiao Yan was dressed in a sweet-colored Lolita outfit and cooperating with several photographers. She expertly struck various poses while people nearby asked about her social media account, and some even walked straight up to request her contact information.

Smiling sweetly, Qiao Yan estimated the price of the brands the person was wearing. Once she deemed him qualified, she half-reluctantly took out her phone.

“You really will recommend me to people at the magazine?” Qiao Yan tilted her head cutely on purpose.

The person’s eyes lit up. “Of course!”

Zhai You walked over.

Her tall figure stood beside Qiao Yan, making the other woman look like a short little winter melon by comparison.

Qiao Yan: “……”

The male Beta who had been asking Qiao Yan for her contact information looked toward Zhai You with even greater amazement. “Could I get your WeChat? I’m friends with the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine. Someone as beautiful as you would definitely become famous!”

While Qiao Yan pouted unhappily, Zhai You turned around, pulled the slowly approaching Jiang Bailu over, and said, “I already have someone I like.”

Jiang Bailu wasn’t very comfortable in such a noisy crowd.

She immediately understood that Zhai You wanted to use her as a shield.

Combining that with her improved impression of Zhai You after last night and their previous agreement, Jiang Bailu cooperatively curved her eyes into a smile. “We’ve marked each other.”

A marking was practically equivalent to publicly declaring loyalty to the other person.

The male Beta walked away in disappointment, muttering, “Already has [read the original at bailiantales.com]someone and still comes out flirting around. Pah. Scumbag Alpha.”

Zhai You, who had been insulted for no reason, looked at Jiang Bailu with aggrieved eyes.

Jiang Bailu: “……”

Her heart softened, and she sighed.

Qiao Yan remained frozen in place. By the time she reacted and wanted to chase after them to remind Zhai You that she was still there, the man had already walked far away.

“Zhai You!” Qiao Yan gritted her teeth. “You’d better give me resources better than what he offered, or I’m not agreeing to your request!”

The photographers around them dispersed.

Only the three of them remained standing in the open area.

“You think I’m like him?” Zhai You scoffed disdainfully.

A friend of some fashion magazine’s editor-in-chief?

That sounded incredibly unreliable.

Even if he were the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine himself, Zhai You still wouldn’t be intimidated!

She was so obscenely rich now that her attitude was basically—

Worst case, I’ll just start my own fashion magazine!

Of course, it would be for photographing Jiang Bailu.

Qiao Yan?

Dream on.

Zhai You stood bathed in the beautiful sunlight, looking especially dazzling.

In particular, the smile hanging at the corner of her lips made it difficult to look away.

At that moment, Jiang Bailu remembered what the butler had said.

How had she responded back then?

Did Zhai You like Qiao Yan?

If she did…

Then why wasn’t she with Qiao Yan?

Why had she chosen Jiang Bailu instead?

Jiang Bailu’s gaze turned cold.

She suddenly felt that she was the naive one after all, having been effortlessly deceived by Zhai You.

Zhai You really was—

a scumbag Alpha who toyed with people’s hearts.