After Transmigrating as a Scum Alpha, I Pampered the Best Actress Omega - Chapter 10

The way she said “baby” was incredibly affectionate.

Seeing Jiang Bailu’s silence, Zhai You felt a faint layer of awkwardness drifting through the air.

Who is this woman, and why is she calling me baby?

Had the original host already been fooling around with other women before forcing Jiang Bailu into this? Zhai You maintained a neutral expression and glanced toward the living room.

She’s truly beautiful.

About seventy or eighty percent as good-looking as me.

Wait, isn’t this Mother Zhai, her current biological relative?!!!

Mother Zhai was already in her forties, but she looked like she had just turned thirty—right in the prime of her charm.

That face, which shared a striking resemblance to Zhai You’s, was at its most captivating.

She walked over clingily and pulled Zhai You into a hug: “Baby, why are you only just getting back? And who is this little girl?”

Mother Zhai looked past Zhai You, her gaze turning ice-cold as she directed it toward Jiang Bailu, a contemptuous smirk playing on her lips.

“Mom…” Zhai You called out softly, feeling a bit lost on how to face her.

No, she had to do something.

The original book clearly described what happened the first time Jiang Bailu followed Zhai You home. Mother Zhai felt that Jiang Bailu’s background was too poor and that she had merely relied on being an Omega and her pretty face to bewitch her daughter.

Initially, she held back out of consideration for the original host’s feelings, but once she realized the original host didn’t actually care, she made life a living hell for Jiang Bailu in every possible way.

I can’t let Mother Zhai play the role of the “Wicked Mother-in-Law” anymore.

With this thought flashing through her mind, Zhai You grabbed Mother Zhai’s hand: “Mom, why didn’t you tell me you were coming back early? I would have come home sooner.”

Mother Zhai shifted her focus from Jiang Bailu back to Zhai You. She showed the typical doting affection of a mother for her daughter, reaching out to cup Zhai You’s face: “How could I bear to disturb my little treasure?”

To be honest, Zhai You found the “little treasure” talk a bit much.

Specifically, Mother Zhai’s exaggerated tone made it feel like a stage play, pulling Zhai You right out of character. It was getting harder to call her “Mom.”

Fortunately, Mother Zhai changed the subject: “You must be hungry. I’ll have them prepare your favorite dishes right away.”

Zhai You wasn’t sure if her tastes matched the original host’s.

With the original host’s bizarre way of thinking, what if her palate was incredibly picky? If Zhai You couldn’t force the food down, would Mother Zhai get suspicious?

Zhai You’s brow furrowed.

The book didn’t mention what the original host liked to eat—after all, she was just a cannon-fodder Scum Alpha; who cared?

But it did mention Jiang Bailu’s favorite foods.

Jiang Bailu had a light palate; even after joining film crews, she mostly stuck to vegetarian options.

The Righteous Lead had gone to great lengths to care for their “White Moonlight,” even seeking out top chefs to prepare vegetarian feasts just to please her.

It wasn’t realistic to ask the kitchen for a full vegetarian banquet now, but a few vegetable dishes were doable.

Zhai You lightly rubbed her fingers together and said with feigned nonchalance: “I don’t have much of an appetite today. Just make a couple of light vegetable dishes—especially Almond Tofu.”

“Bailu likes that.”

As soon as she finished, the living room fell silent for two seconds.

Jiang Bailu was naturally quiet and rarely spoke unless necessary. But surprisingly, Mother Zhai also remained silent, looking at Zhai You with a bizarre expression.

After a long pause, Mother Zhai frowned and looked toward Jiang Bailu with some impatience.

Her name is Bailu, is it?

Mother Zhai didn’t mind her daughter playing around outside, but the original host had never actually brought anyone home before.

She only started breaking the rules after meeting Jiang Bailu.

Maybe it was the influence of the plot, who knows? In Mother Zhai’s mind, even though her daughter liked to play, she was still a “good girl.”

Now, she had brought someone home without a word—and an Omega at that, the type most likely to influence her daughter. How could Mother Zhai not be worried?

Mother Zhai looked toward Jiang Bailu again. She seemed quiet, but as the saying goes, “the biting dog doesn’t bark.” If she didn’t have some tricks up her sleeve, how could she have convinced her daughter to bring her home?

Terrified that Zhai You was being scammed, Mother Zhai took Zhai You’s hand: “Is this a friend? How long have you known each other? You haven’t even told your mother about her.”

“We’ve known each other… for a long time.” Two months? That counts as long. Zhai You glanced at her left hand. She reached out and grabbed Jiang Bailu’s hand, giving her no chance to pull away.

Jiang Bailu struggled only slightly before remembering something and submissively allowing Zhai You to hold her hand.

In front of Mother Zhai, Zhai You gave a light laugh: “Mom, let me introduce you. This is my wife, your daughter-in-law.”

Mother Zhai’s eyes widened in shock, and she took a few steps back. Her long eyelashes trembled as she looked at their joined hands, finding it hard to accept.

Playing around is one thing, but actually thinking of marriage…

“Youyou, today isn’t April Fool’s Day,” Mother Zhai said, her tone deepening, even though she knew Zhai You wasn’t one to joke about major life events.

“Mom must be overjoyed,” Zhai You pretended not to notice her distress.

She pulled out the red booklet and handed it to Mother Zhai to inspect, proving that her words were a rock-solid fact.

Only with the marriage certificate in hand did Mother Zhai realize Jiang Bailu’s true status in her daughter’s heart.

This definitely wasn’t just a “fling.” Even if Zhai You acted nonchalant, she had truly fallen for Jiang Bailu!

For a woman Mother Zhai knew absolutely nothing about.

Just like that, she had become her daughter-in-law. Heh… Mother Zhai tried to use a smile to hide her feelings, but the curve of her lips looked like self-mockery.

Mother Zhai pressed her lips into a thin line.

She felt like she was going to faint from a lack of oxygen.

Such a massive thing as marriage, and she didn’t even discuss it with the family! Mother Zhai shoved the red booklet back into Zhai You’s arms: “Wait until your father finds out—he’ll scold you to death!”

This news was too shocking; Mother Zhai needed time to process it.

She also needed to arrange for someone to investigate Jiang Bailu immediately.

How did she manage to hook my daughter? What methods did she use? Mother Zhai took shallow breaths. She wanted to look at Jiang Bailu, but she worried her current unfriendly gaze would make Jiang Bailu take offense and whisper in Zhai You’s ear.

…She was the person Zhai You liked right now, after all. If they really stayed together long-term…

If she treated Jiang Bailu poorly now, wouldn’t it drive a wedge between her and her daughter?

Mother Zhai returned to her room, looking drained.

The moment Mother Zhai left, Jiang Bailu’s fingertips moved within Zhai You’s palm, and she quickly pulled her hand away.

To be honest, Jiang Bailu was surprised.

She had imagined many scenarios, even being heartlessly kicked out by Mother Zhai.

She didn’t care much about those things; since it was a fake marriage and she hadn’t given her heart, being kicked out was fine. It would even save her the time spent dealing with Zhai You.

But the current turn of events felt… strange.

Firstly, Zhai You was the strangest of all.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Jiang Bailu finally couldn’t hold back, her fair face full of conflicted emotions. “What exactly am I supposed to be doing?”

Zhai You’s behavior was keeping Jiang Bailu on edge.

The more Zhai You acted like she was on her side, the more Jiang Bailu suspected there was a massive pit waiting for her to fall into.

If that were the case, Zhai You would be truly wicked.

And then there was the thing about her preference for vegetarian food.

Jiang Bailu’s gaze was fixed on Zhai You, trying to see right through her.

She suddenly met Zhai You’s bright eyes. Like Zhai You’s personality, they were completely undisguised—straightforward enough to make one’s heart… skip a beat.

Zhai You reached a hand toward Jiang Bailu, and Jiang Bailu dodged almost instantly.

There was no smile on her face, only a look of vigilance.

The hand suspended in mid-air dropped.

Zhai You looked pensive. After much hesitation, she gave a ridiculous reason: “You know, I’m very beautiful.”

“…”

“That dog Su Luo is constantly thinking of selling me out. There are plenty of people who like me; if they start fighting over me, wouldn’t that be a sin?” Zhai You spoke leisurely.

Jiang Bailu’s hands tightened as she listened.

“So, you’re having a fake marriage with me first to trick them. In a couple of years, when those people who lust after my beauty lose interest, we’ll…”

The word “divorce” wouldn’t come out no matter how hard Zhai You tried.

So she just stopped talking.

Anyway, she’d made up her reason. Whether Jiang Bailu believed it or not was up to her; Zhai You wasn’t going to let her go easily.

The vigilance in Jiang Bailu’s eyes dissipated; she tentatively believed it.

Exactly, Zhai You thought coolly. Beauty is an invincible excuse.

Mother Zhai returned to her room.

She was indeed getting older; even though she looked young, her body wasn’t what it used to be.

The shock of learning that Zhai You had married behind her back had sent her head spinning, and she still felt dizzy.

Fortunately, she wasn’t completely powerless. Mother Zhai called a familiar detective agency.

“Investigate Jiang Bailu for me.”

After that call, Mother Zhai felt aggrieved and called her husband. He picked up quickly, greeting her with his most intimate nickname: “What’s wrong, my dear wife? Weren’t you going to see our daughter today? Do you miss me already?”

Mother Zhai’s eyes, so similar to Zhai You’s, turned red: “Darling, our daughter married behind our backs!”

There was a pause on the other end.

A simple “Oh” followed.

Mother Zhai: “…”

So annoying.

“She married without saying a word! What if the other person saw our daughter was a bit dim and specifically scammed her? We only have this one daughter; you don’t care at all.”

After Mother Zhai’s angry outburst, a low chuckle came from the other end of the phone: “Darling, that’s our daughter.”

Mother Zhai thought of something and fell silent for a long time.

“Anyway, you should come back too. They’re having dinner at the house right now.”

“Alright, I’ll be back soon. Wait for me at home, wife.”

After hanging up, Mother Zhai’s beautiful eyes turned toward the large picture frame on the wall.

It was a photo of their family of three.

Thinking that a new person would be added soon—or maybe two more in the future—Mother Zhai’s eyes flickered.

No, I still feel aggrieved.

And for some reason, as soon as she saw Jiang Bailu, she couldn’t help but want to make things difficult for her.

Mother Zhai frowned.

She knew all too well how much an Omega could influence an Alpha.

Back then, that was how she and her darling had ended up together.

A blush appeared on Mother Zhai’s face, then she sighed again, unwilling to speak.