After Transmigrating as a Scum Alpha, I Pampered the Best Actress Omega - Chapter 14

Early the next morning, Zhai You began knocking on the door.

A sickly Jiang Bailu opened it. She looked haggard and spiritless, forming a sharp contrast with Zhai You’s high energy.

“Uh…” Zhai You’s hand remained awkwardly frozen in mid-air.

She had almost forgotten that Jiang Bailu was sick.

As an Alpha, Zhai You’s recovery speed was top-tier; even an injury only took a few hours to heal. Jiang Bailu, however, would need much more time to nurse her body back to health.

“Did you take your medicine?” Zhai You asked with a sincere gaze. “I came to remind you to take your meds.”

I definitely didn’t mean to disturb your rest!

Jiang Bailu frowned and tried to speak, but her throat was too dry to make a sound.

This was the result of a night without water. Jiang Bailu lowered her head, no longer having the energy to deal with Zhai You; even Zhai You’s voice was becoming a blur.

“Why don’t you go back and sleep for a while?”

“I promise I won’t disturb you anymore.”

“…Bailu?”

Jiang Bailu fainted and collapsed to the floor…

When she woke again, she was lying on the bed. The Zhai family’s private doctor had just finished administering an IV drip.

Jiang Bailu’s eyes flickered as she looked at Zhai You by the bedside. Zhai You hadn’t noticed she was awake yet and was talking to the doctor: “Is she alright?”

The doctor sighed: “Her body is too weak. It’s best if she has complete quiet and rest.”

The hospital doctors had said the same thing.

It was just that Jiang Bailu was too used to forcing herself to endure. She had lived that way since she was a child, which led Zhai You—who was full of vitality—to assume Jiang Bailu wasn’t in any serious danger. This momentary oversight resulted in Jiang Bailu collapsing weakly, only waking up several hours later.

The doctor looked toward Jiang Bailu. She quickly closed her eyes and feigned sleep, though her ears were listening intently.

“She is this sick, and yet no one even poured a glass of water for her?” The doctor’s mood was complicated.

He had seen too many pampered Omegas who would call for a doctor in a panic over a tiny scratch on a finger.

Omegas were exceptionally delicate, like porcelain dolls, almost always held in the palms of people’s hands.

But Jiang Bailu was clearly someone who had done hard labor. Her body was hollowed out; she must have suffered a lot in the past. Especially now that she was ill, her deathly pale face made one’s heart ache. Zhai You’s heart ached visibly—she wished the person lying on the bed was herself.

She gazed at Jiang Bailu. She was so thin and frail, lying there so quietly without moving. Only the slight rise and fall of her chest indicated she was breathing.

“I’ll instruct the servants…” Zhai You’s brow was knit tight.

She had been too careless. She forgot Jiang Bailu’s personality; she wasn’t someone who would proactively ask for help.

If her mother hadn’t been critically ill, Jiang Bailu never would have sought help from the original host, nor would she have agreed to Zhai You’s contract.

Zhai You wanted to stay and take care of her personally, but she thought that Jiang Bailu might find her presence annoying right now. It was better to disappear for a bit.

She didn’t want to get in the way of her recovery.

The doctor saw Zhai You lower her head pitifully, looking like an innocent canine.

The scolding he intended to give got stuck in his throat.

“Even if there’s urgent business, it’s best to wait until she’s recovered.” Considering it was Zhai You who found Jiang Bailu unconscious and frantically called for him, he couldn’t bring himself to blame her too much.

At least Zhai You looked genuinely worried.

Perhaps the suffering Jiang Bailu endured in the past would finally take a turn for the better.

“Okay.” Zhai You had no objections. She was just thinking that Jiang Bailu hadn’t brought any clothes over and wanted to take her out to buy a few outfits. It wasn’t an emergency; a few more days wouldn’t hurt.

After giving his instructions, the doctor packed his things and left.

Silence returned to the room. Jiang Bailu’s breathing was steady; her eyelids moved slightly, but she didn’t open them. Zhai You was still in the room. Even with her eyes closed, Jiang Bailu could feel Zhai You’s gaze upon her.

Zhai You’s gaze was too scorching; she could almost feel exactly where the eyes were landing on her body.

Her hands tightened under the covers, her heart rate accelerating. Is Zhai You such a pervert that she’d try to do something to me while I’m still on a sickbed?

Should I resist?

Better not. I have no strength, and seeing the doctor must have cost Zhai You a lot of money. Even if it’s a private doctor, I don’t want to owe her more favors.

Jiang Bailu’s posture relaxed.

Zhai You was looking at Jiang Bailu’s gaunt cheeks.

She thought: I definitely can’t let her keep being a vegetarian. No matter what, I have to feed her meat, otherwise she’s just too thin.

As she watched, she noticed Jiang Bailu’s face was turning a bit red.

Zhai You leaned closer to the bed and, with a rare bit of attentiveness, realized Jiang Bailu had stopped breathing.

No way!

Zhai You’s eyes widened in terror. The hand she had intended to use to check the girl’s forehead for a fever moved down to check for breath. She was panicking, thinking: Jiang Bailu, you’re the heroine! Hang in there!

Thankfully, she was fine.

Zhai You patted her chest in relief. She couldn’t handle this alone; she went out to find “external help.”

With her own skills, she’d only end up making Jiang Bailu’s condition worse!

Once the door closed, Jiang Bailu opened her eyes and blinked in confusion.

Why did Zhai You just check to see if I was still breathing?

This illness dragged on for three full days.

Whatever Mother Zhai wanted to do to Jiang Bailu, she held back for the sake of the girl’s health. After all, she looked quite pitiful.

By the time Jiang Bailu recovered, Father Zhai had also finished her work. The parents chose to leave their daughter behind and go on a vacation abroad.

The Zhai mansion became empty. Aside from Zhai You’s occasional antics, it was very quiet.

And Zhai You’s antics were almost entirely centered around Jiang Bailu.

“Eat this!” Zhai You slapped her chopsticks down forcefully. The two women stared at each other silently under the light.

Looking at Zhai You’s slightly messy hair, Jiang Bailu knew she had just woken up and come to find her immediately.

Happening to arrive at dinner time, Zhai You told the butler she would eat with Jiang Bailu, then had a table full of heavy meat dishes prepared. Jiang Bailu, having just recovered from a major illness, had no appetite for greasy food.

For some reason, Zhai You kept forcing her to eat.

Is she trying to make things difficult for me?

Zhai You watched Jiang Bailu’s lips twitch, but she still wouldn’t eat. She was worried sick.

She wanted to learn Father Zhai’s technique for coaxing someone to eat, but the moment she tried to speak, her voice failed her.

Father and Mother Zhai had twenty years of loving history; they could coax each other naturally.

But what were she and Jiang Bailu right now?

A contract marriage—one wrong move and everything would go south.

The soft words were pushed back down her throat. Zhai You looked anxiously at Jiang Bailu’s frail body, which looked like it could be carried away by a breeze.

Are the braised ribs not fragrant enough, or are the stewed pig trotters not tender enough?

Even a bit of stir-fried pork would be fine.

Can you please stop eating plain white porridge? It looks so unnutritious.

Zhai You had just finished speaking with feigned anger when she saw Jiang Bailu’s frame tremble. Zhai You was instantly too scared to say another word.

She chickened out.

It was time for the Eldest Miss Zhai to display her wit again: “You’ve been sick for so long—do you still want to act? Opportunity waits for no one. While you were sick, countless people were working hard to climb the ladder, and what about you!”

“You got sick at such a critical time. Slacking! You’re slacking too much!”

Jiang Bailu pursed her lips in defiance.

What does that have to do with me eating?

Zhai You clucked her tongue: “Don’t look at those actresses who want to be as thin as bamboo poles. How many roles do they get? Their range is too narrow. A person needs a bit of meat on their bones to play more roles.”

Jiang Bailu’s eyes flickered.

“You think I’m joking about making you earn money for me? You think my money falls from the sky?” Actually, it kind of does.

Zhai You’s brow arched.

“So, if only for the sake of taking care of your mother, eat a little… okay?”