After Becoming a Scumbag Alpha, the Green Tea Omega is Reborn - Chapter 10

Not long after, Yu Li returned. When she took off her mask, Tao Ran went over attentively to help her off with her coat. As Yu Li turned her head and their eyes met, both looked away slightly, dodging the gaze.

“Back so soon?”

“Just handled a few things,” Yu Li said in a low voice, casting her eyes down.

Tao Ran lightly sniffed the scent on Yu Li. There was no lingering smell of a stranger’s pheromones. True, Yu Li had only been out for less than half an hour; it was unlikely she could have hooked up with an Omega in such a short time.

However, there was no obvious smell of alcohol either. She went to a bar but didn’t look for an Omega or drink—so what was she doing?

Tao Ran felt a rectangular object in Yu Li’s pocket. She pulled it out to see it was a bottle of safflower oil (medicinal oil).

“This is…”

“Didn’t you bump into something earlier? I went to buy some oil. Rubbing a little on will make it better.”

Tao Ran stared blankly at the bottle in her hand. Yu Li took off her shoes and turned to go upstairs. The moment she closed her door, Yu Li let out a long breath. Leaning against the door with exhaustion, she sent a voice message to Sister Zhang: “Sister Zhang, I’ve thought about it a long time, and I still feel very sorry for Tao Ran. I want to help her secure an endorsement, is that okay?”

Sister Zhang sent a string of ellipses and a speechless emoji, then replied: “Whatever you want. What endorsement are you trying to get her?”

“Felina.”

“You say what?!” Sister Zhang called immediately, shouting in shock. “Felina is a famous luxury brand! Besides, the brand partners are all related to the Yu family. Furthermore, you brought them such huge profits tonight; the spokesperson role should belong to you.”

“I know. It’s precisely because Felina is under the Yu family’s conglomerate that I have this idea.”

“But… such a great opportunity like Felina, you’re just giving it to Tao Ran? Plus, Tao Ran has only had one hit drama; she hasn’t won any high-level awards. Felina’s requirements for spokespeople are very high. How could they possibly want her…”

“Sister Zhang, you seem to misunderstand. My meaning is: Tao Ran and I will film the advertisement together,” Yu Li said solemnly.

Sister Zhang nearly choked. Two top-tier actors for one advertisement? Most advertisers wouldn’t even dream of such treatment. Only Yu Li would dare suggest it.

For a moment, Sister Zhang couldn’t tell if Yu Li was promoting Tao Ran or promoting Felina.

“Sister Zhang, I’ll have to trouble you.” Yu Li sounded respectful, but her tone carried a finality that brooked no argument.

“You little ancestor, you win. I’ll try my best to negotiate this for you.”

Yu Li thanked her.

She wasn’t doing this purely for Tao Ran. In the novel, several consecutive spokespeople for Felina—including the original scumbag Alpha—ended up in prison for various scandals, causing the brand’s reputation and sales to plummet. When the building collapses, a single pillar cannot support it. Subsequently, most companies under the Yu Group fell one after another.

It wasn’t yet the critical moment where Felina gets into trouble, but a rescue mission in advance might just turn the tide.

The movie contract and pay for Flower Branch were finalized by Sister Zhang. When she called, she couldn’t hide the disappointment in her voice: “The final pay has been set. 30 million yuan.”

“And Tao Ran?” Yu Li asked quickly.

“10 million.”

“Okay…”

“What do you mean ‘okay’? Tao Ran is fine, but how can you be so careless? If you hadn’t run off to that audition without saying a word, blocking our path to refuse, I could have gotten you at least another 20 million!” Sister Zhang sighed in frustration. “Every drama you’ve taken in recent months paid 70 or 80 million. Now look at you—it’s cut by more than half. People will laugh at you when this gets out.”

“I’m sorry, Sister Zhang. I’ll pay attention next time. I took this role mainly to broaden my acting range. The Alpha character in this story is quite complex and difficult; it will help hone my acting skills…”

“Oh, please. You used to play cold characters who didn’t cry, laugh, or show expression—just pampered their wives. The characters were likable, so the audience didn’t notice your lack of acting talent. Now you take on such a difficult role, you’re practically telling everyone your acting is bad…”

Sister Zhang stopped herself awkwardly and tried to compensate: “I’m not saying your acting is bad, just that there’s room for improvement.”

Yu Li pursed her lips in silence. She had spent two days researching the original owner’s past twenty years and watching all her dramas, hits and flops alike. She had to admit, the original owner’s acting was mediocre. It was no wonder the fans of the original Flower Branch novel had no faith in her.

She cried where she was supposed to, but without emotion; she laughed where she was supposed to, but it never reached her eyes. Her fame relied on her ethereal, aloof face and the capital support of the Yu family—not to mention a massive “water army” of fake marketing. Because of this, a vast, unbridgeable chasm always stood between the original owner and a Best Actress trophy.

If I start acting well and being a good person now, is it possible to narrow that chasm?

Both were silent for a long time. Sister Zhang sighed and said earnestly, “You took this movie for Tao Ran, didn’t you? I don’t know why you suddenly cherish her so much, but I don’t think it’s just to compensate her. After all, you don’t owe her anything.”

Yu Li: …I owe her too much. I really do want to compensate her.

“Do you feel her career is more important than yours? Her acting is good and she’s stunning, but her family background is even worse than an average person’s. Compared to you, she’s far behind. Promoting her like this isn’t quite worth it.”

“It’s worth it,” Yu Li said decisively. “Tao Ran is the most worth it.”

“…”

To repay Sister Zhang for negotiating the contracts, Yu Li spent the next week traveling constantly. Between filming announcements and commercials, she participated in various interviews and events.

For an entire week, Yu Li and Tao Ran did not see each other. She didn’t dare disturb Tao Ran, fearing she would make herself annoying. But Tao Ran’s attitude remained warm as always; besides asking what she was doing every day, she would always say goodnight before bed.

Yu Li thought everything was moving in the right direction. Fortunately, she had transmigrated in time; perhaps the nightmare of Tao Ran being beaten on her wedding night could still be healed.

Yu Li only rushed home the day before the official start of filming for Flower Branch. The next morning, she had to wake up at 5:00 AM to head to the suburban filming location. Yu Li was too sleepy to drive, so she had Sister Zhang arrange for a driver to take her and Tao Ran together.

Sitting in the back seat, both let out heavy yawns simultaneously as the car started.

Yu Li stole a glance at Tao Ran, noticing the dark circles under her eyes were very prominent; even the light-toned foundation she’d used couldn’t fully hide them.

Tao Ran caught her gaze and smiled radiantly. She moved closer, wrapping her arm around Yu Li’s. “Why are you looking at me like that? Did you miss me?”

Tao Ran’s eyes were bright, and her rosy cheeks looked like the perfect flush of peach blossoms in March. Though she wore a suppressant patch, a faint scent of white musk still drifted from her, making Yu Li feel refreshed.

Yu Li blushed and looked away awkwardly, letting out a soft “Mm.”

Tao Ran rested her head on Yu Li’s shoulder, checking a few newly added actresses on her WeChat list. Then she opened her bag and pulled out a pack of chocolate biscuit sticks. Yu Li peeked a few times; she hadn’t eaten these before, but her intuition told her the original owner loved this flavor.

Tao Ran took out a stick and waved it in front of Yu Li’s eyes. “I brought your favorite chocolate flavor. Hurry up and praise me.”

“Thanks, Ranran is the best.” Yu Li reached out to take it, but Tao Ran suddenly pulled her hand back, put the stick in her own mouth, and leaned close to Yu Li.

“I’ll feed you.” Her almond eyes gazed deeply at Yu Li. Her lips were slightly parted, her teeth biting the biscuit, as she climbed onto Yu Li’s shoulders, seemingly offering both herself and the biscuit to Yu Li’s lips.

Yu Li swallowed and leaned in to bite the other end of the stick. A crisp snap accompanied Tao Ran’s soft laugh. The chocolate biscuit seemed to carry the scent of white musk.

For a moment, it was hard to tell which was more delicious: Tao Ran or the biscuit.

The car suddenly braked. Tao Ran’s body tilted, and Yu Li hurriedly wrapped her arm around her waist. Tao Ran took the chance to slump into her embrace.

Yu Li took several deep breaths, but she still couldn’t calm her racing heart.

Tao Ran hugged her waist and mumbled into her phone, “I went to film a commercial a few days ago and met some new friends. They all got such, such good advertisements.”

“What kind of ads?”

“Famous makeup brands. I wish I had those too.” Tao Ran pouted and pulled out another biscuit stick to feed Yu Li.

“Don’t be envious of them. You’ll have advertisements too.”

“Really?” Tao Ran hugged her tighter. “Can it be a popular clothing brand?”

In truth, Tao Ran wanted to break into luxury endorsements, but with her current strength, she wasn’t at that level yet. However, getting to know some advertisers through Yu Li—even for niche brands—would be good.

“Of course. I promise you,” Yu Li said seriously.

She was already prepared; she was just waiting for Sister Zhang to finish the negotiations with the Felina advertisers.

“That’s great! Love you.” Tao Ran planted a loud kiss on Yu Li’s cheek. “My wife is so good to me, I’m so happy.”

Tao Ran leaned contentedly on Yu Li’s shoulder and fell asleep a moment later. Afraid of waking her, Yu Li sat stiffly, not daring to move an inch.

After a while, the sleeping Tao Ran frowned and let out a sneeze. Yu Li’s right hand was being hugged, so she could only struggle to reach for the jacket on the far side with her left hand. She gently draped the coat over Tao Ran and couldn’t help but kiss her forehead.

She cherished her like a precious, fragile piece of art.

Tao Ran’s eyelashes fluttered, and her heart fluttered along with them.