Chapter 15
Jiang Bailu slowly opened her mouth and moved her lips, but in the end, she said nothing.
Under Zhai You’s watchful gaze, she picked up her chopsticks and looked at the table full of food.
Jiang Bailu didn’t even glance at the dishes placed in front of Zhai You. They were so greasy. It was honestly impressive that Zhai You could eat like that without gaining weight and still maintain her figure.
After hesitating for a long while, Jiang Bailu reached her chopsticks toward the steamed fish in the middle of the table.
Zhai You dragged it a little closer to her.
The steamed fish was mild and bland, barely fitting Jiang Bailu’s tastes. Thinking about how she still had to take care of her mother, she forced herself to eat a few more bites.
Zhai You breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was finally eating something besides plain congee.
If she kept eating nothing but congee, Zhai You would have to tell the kitchen to cook it with chicken broth instead. But when she imagined what that might taste like, she frowned.
It didn’t sound very good.
Noticing how much Jiang Bailu seemed to dislike the dishes in front of her, Zhai You put down the chopsticks she had just picked up. “I’ve lost my appetite. Take these away.”
The butler complied. Soon, the only things left on the table were the steamed fish and, after Zhai You lowered her eyes and specifically ordered it to stay, a bowl of pig trotter soup.
Once Jiang Bailu finished eating, Zhai You stared at her again and forcefully made her drink a few mouthfuls.
Anger began brewing inside Jiang Bailu. “I’m not drinking it.”
“……Drink.” Seeing Jiang Bailu’s ashen complexion, Zhai You gritted her teeth and insisted that she at least take a sip.
Didn’t she see how weak her body had become?
Zhai You wasn’t asking her to gain weight overnight, but couldn’t she at least taste it?
Zhai You was going to such great lengths for her. She tapped her fingers against the table. “Drink one bowl, then rest for a while and let the doctor come examine you.”
Jiang Bailu’s pupils were dark and black as she stared at her without blinking, equally stubborn. “I’m not drinking it. It’s too greasy.”
…Greasy? Zhai You thought the pig trotter soup was fine, but she still glanced into the bowl. There really were tiny droplets of oil floating on top.
She picked up the soup spoon and skimmed away as much of the oil as she could.
“Better?”
“It’s still greasy…”
“If you keep being stubborn, I’ll have the doctor give you a full physical examination. I’ll put the bill under your name, and you can pay me back later!”
Only then did Jiang Bailu stop arguing. She pinched her nose and drank the bowl of pig trotter soup as painfully as if she were swallowing medicine.
In truth, the Zhai family chef had been specially hired and was highly skilled. The pot of pig trotter soup had been simmered until it was rich and delicious. Compared with the tiny specks of oil, it contained far more collagen and could replenish a patient’s energy.
After finishing one bowl, Jiang Bailu’s complexion improved a little.
Zhai You didn’t force her to drink any more. At worst, she could make her have another bowl tomorrow.
That was enough for today.
“Go back and rest after you finish eating. In another two days, come out with me somewhere,” Zhai You instructed.
“Mm.” Jiang Bailu answered. In truth, the three days she had spent resting had already made her uneasy. Hearing Zhai You give her something to do actually made her feel a little more settled.
She couldn’t accept Zhai You’s kindness with a clear conscience.
Without even asking what they would be doing two days later, Jiang Bailu immediately agreed.
Zhai You looked at her for a few moments, then nodded and let Jiang Bailu return to her room while she herself headed downstairs.
The butler followed behind Zhai You. “Where are you going, Young Miss?”
Zhai You: “The kitchen.”
“……”
She was starving.
Fortunately, the chef hadn’t thrown the food away. Zhai You, who had just claimed she had no appetite, was now happily devouring the dishes that had been brought downstairs, making the butler’s heart ache.
“Why didn’t you eat at the table? Why come all the way here?” The butler watched Zhai You stand in front of the kitchen island with absolutely no regard for her image.
Zhai You took huge bites from a bone and looked at the butler with those eyes framed by long, straight lashes.
Then she returned her attention to eating.
She hadn’t gotten hungry this easily before. Perhaps an Alpha’s body required more energy, making Zhai You hungrier now and more inclined to eat foods that could replenish energy quickly.
At the dining table, she genuinely hadn’t noticed because all she had been thinking about was whether Jiang Bailu was hungry.
Only after Jiang Bailu finished eating did Zhai You realize her own stomach was growling. Jiang Bailu had nearly heard it.
Jiang Bailu was already so thin. Why couldn’t she eat something better?
Fine, she could indulge her for now. But once Jiang Bailu completely recovered, Zhai You definitely wouldn’t keep spoiling her like this. She would sit right in front of her and gnaw on ribs. She refused to believe Jiang Bailu wouldn’t get tempted!
Then again, maybe she really wouldn’t.
Zhai You remembered the way Jiang Bailu had taken one glance at all that meat and immediately looked as though she had lost her appetite.
If it weren’t for the nature of their relationship, Zhai You suspected Jiang Bailu’s disgust would have been even more obvious.
After eating, Zhai You washed her hands clean. Just then, the family doctor arrived with some basic equipment to examine Jiang Bailu.
Jiang Bailu’s fever had gone down. The family doctor packed away his things. “There’s no need to keep taking medicine. All medicine has some degree of toxicity. You can try dietary therapy instead, and she should also eat more fruit.”
Zhai You shot Jiang Bailu a sidelong glance. “Did you hear that?”
Jiang Bailu looked up at Zhai You in confusion.
Her moist eyes trembled slightly, her pupils like those of an uneasy little deer staring at the fierce-looking Zhai You.
Zhai You: “……D-Did you hear that…”
The family doctor also gave Zhai You a sidelong glance. “Are you expecting her to cook for herself?”
Zhai You: “……”
The family doctor was irritated and didn’t care that this woman was technically his employer. “Leave that sort of thing to the chef. Stop making trouble.”
After saying that, he went to speak with the butler about it.
He had a feeling Zhai You wasn’t very reliable. Better to discuss it with the butler.
The butler listened to the family doctor with a frown, his gaze toward Jiang Bailu full of displeasure.
Young Miss treated her so well, yet she didn’t appreciate it. Even this doctor was criticizing Young Miss.
His poor Young Miss. Since when had she ever needed to put up with this?
The arrogant and domineering Young Miss everyone outside knew—that was the real Zhai You.
She never needed to worry about too much. As long as she was happy, that was enough. And the Zhai family would satisfy her every need in every possible way.
The butler said nothing. He listened while dividing his attention between the doctor and whatever Zhai You and Jiang Bailu were discussing. Jiang Bailu had her head lowered, nodding every now and then.
The sight made the butler increasingly irritated, and he found himself understanding Madam’s feelings even more.
“I understand.” The butler looked coldly at the family doctor. “May I ask how long you’ve worked for the Zhai family?”
The family doctor froze.
He had worked for the Zhai family for many years. Especially in the past, he used to make house calls frequently.
Why was the butler suddenly asking this?
The butler slowly smiled, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Nothing. Thank you for your hard work.”
*
Not long after the family doctor—who was apparently about to have some bad luck—left, Zhai You received another call from Su Luo.
Su Luo complained exaggeratedly, “Young Miss, are you coming or not? First you say you’re not coming, then you say you are, then you tell me to wait a few days. Exactly how many days are we talking about?”
Zhai You had almost forgotten about him. She replied absentmindedly, “Two more days. Just two more days—”
Su Luo said, “If I keep waiting, even my parents are going to get annoyed with me.”
No matter how much a spoiled rich kid fooled around, they still couldn’t stay away from home for too long.
“If you weren’t Zhai You, I definitely would’ve fallen out with you already,” Su Luo complained indignantly.
“Can’t help it. The little one got sick, so I couldn’t get away,” Zhai You said helplessly.
Su Luo froze. “I didn’t hear that your parents had another kid. Did they finally decide to delete their character and start over? And you’re even taking such good care of the kid? What if one day they steal your inheritance?”
What kind of things did these rich second-generation kids think about all day?
“Then let them take it.” Zhai You was getting a little impatient.
“What about the person I asked you to contact?”
“She’s coming to the resort this afternoon. Why else do you think I’ve been rushing you? If she leaves, I won’t be able to keep her here,” Su Luo said.
Thinking of the person she had asked Su Luo to contact, Zhai You looked toward the room that had originally belonged to her, then withdrew her gaze.
She really couldn’t put this off any longer.
“I’ll come over right now. If this works out, I’ll owe you one.”
Zhai You changed clothes, grabbed her phone and card, and headed out.
She would try to make it back before nightfall.
She raced all the way there. By the time she reached the resort owned by Su Luo’s family, two hours had passed.
The moment she got out of the car, Su Luo was already waiting not far ahead.
Su Luo was a notoriously idle young master among the rich second-generation circle. Every day, if he wasn’t thinking about having fun, he was thinking about having fun.
Even the original owner had at least thought about entering the entertainment industry to earn something, although so far she had only been losing money. Su Luo, however, genuinely had no ambition whatsoever.
The original owner had gotten along fairly well with him. In fact—
The mistress contract had been Su Luo’s idea.
When Zhai You discovered that from their chat history, she had nearly torn him apart with her bare hands.
If it weren’t for Su Luo, pursuing Jiang Bailu wouldn’t be nearly this difficult now. But before she could settle that score, she still needed his help with something.
“You’re sure it’s the principal of No. 1 High School?” Zhai You asked as she walked over.
“Hey, I do have some connections, you know. Of course I’m sure.” Su Luo sounded offended. “But why are you looking for that old woman? You graduated from college years ago, didn’t you?”
Zhai You didn’t want to explain, but she knew that if she didn’t say something, Su Luo would keep pestering her.
“The drama I want to film needs her help.”
Su Luo looked shocked. “You still haven’t given up? What’s so appealing about the entertainment industry? Isn’t it enough to fool around with it for fun?”
What was so appealing about the entertainment industry?
Nothing.
Zhai You was rich. She didn’t need to struggle for a career, so no industry held much appeal for her.
But Jiang Bailu was in it.
Jiang Bailu was still a newcomer right now. She liked acting, so Zhai You would protect her path forward.
That was what attracted Zhai You to the industry.
And that was also why she had come looking for this “old woman.”
Old woman, old woman…
Zhai You raised an eyebrow. “I still don’t know the principal’s name.”
“Oh, what was it again?” Su Luo scratched his head. “I think people call her Sister Meng—”
Xu Meng.
Very few people addressed Xu Meng by her full name, though. After becoming a principal, she almost exclusively heard people call her Principal Xu.
Principal Xu was probably in her fifties. With retirement approaching, she was highly respected.
Over the past few days, Su Luo had pulled some strings and arranged for someone to invite Principal Xu to the resort.
She was currently inside.
Zhai You wasted no time. After asking where Principal Xu was, she went straight to find her.
Director Guo wanted to film at No. 1 High School.
Principal Xu refused.
That was exactly why Zhai You had come to see her—
Zhai You had asked around and heard that Principal Xu’s reason for refusing was that Zhai You herself would be appearing in the production, and she worried it would negatively affect No. 1 High School’s reputation.
Zhai You: “……”
She felt both innocent and unable to defend herself, which was honestly rather miserable.
If she withdrew and let Jiang Bailu act instead, perhaps Principal Xu would agree, and Jiang Bailu would have the chance to embark on a brilliant acting career.
But Zhai You didn’t want that.
She was petty.
She didn’t want anyone else acting opposite Jiang Bailu. It had to be her.
At the very least, Jiang Bailu’s screen debut had to be with her, right?
Her first on-screen kiss had to be with her, right?
While thinking about all this, Zhai You had already found the legendary Principal Xu.
As a Beta, Principal Xu didn’t possess the exaggeratedly striking looks common among Alphas and Omegas. In her fifties, if not for the imposing air surrounding her, she would have looked perfectly ordinary.
Yet that distinctive authority of a school principal made her instantly recognizable.
Zhai You walked over. “Hello. You’re Principal Xu, right?”
Principal Xu had been taking a leisurely walk and chatting with the person beside her.
The moment she saw Zhai You, she recognized her immediately. Her expression remained very calm, revealing neither pleasure nor displeasure. “Do you need something from me?”
The principal’s authority made Zhai You, who had once spent her school days keeping her head down and behaving herself, feel guilty for a moment.
But she still boldly got straight to the point. “I need to ask you for a favor.”
“How unusual.” Principal Xu smiled. “Young Miss Zhai actually has something she needs from me.”
“Exactly.” Zhai You smiled shyly.
“And it absolutely has to be Principal Xu. As long as you agree to help, I’m willing to do whatever you ask.”
A trace of surprise appeared in Principal Xu’s eyes.
What ability did she have that could make Zhai You personally come over and humble herself like this?
A little curious, she figured there was no harm in hearing her out. “Tell me first.”
“It’s about the production.” Zhai You glanced at the person beside Principal Xu.
Time was tight, so she went straight to the point.
“I heard Director Guo contacted you, but you refused. I came to see if I could persuade you.”
So that was it.
Principal Xu understood, but at the same time, she became even more surprised.
Forget about what people said online.
Just look at how the students at No. 1 High School talked about Zhai You.
“She’s basically a giant baby.”
“Oh my god, did she really study abroad? She can’t even solve a problem this easy.”
“Disgusting rich second-generation brat who thinks money makes her special.”
“Just seeing her annoys me…”
Principal Xu didn’t pay much attention to the entertainment industry, but simply walking around campus was enough for her to overhear students casually expressing their opinions about Zhai You.
They were terrible.
From beginning to end, aside from that face, everything about this person was terrible.
Even if Principal Xu agreed, once the students at No. 1 High School found out, they might start thinking about throwing eggs at her.
Of course, Principal Xu trusted that her simple, honest students wouldn’t actually do such a thing.
What surprised Principal Xu was that everyone knew Zhai You had entered the entertainment industry purely for fun.
Yet she had personally come here for the sake of one drama.
Despite her surprise, Principal Xu still gave the same answer as before. “Filming takes too long and would interfere with the students’ studies. They’re in high school now, one of the most important periods of their lives. They can’t be disturbed.”
Zhai You didn’t believe Director Guo had failed to explain this.
Naturally, filming wouldn’t involve ordinary students. Usually, they would choose school holidays for production.
But as long as Principal Xu insisted on using this reason, no one could do anything about it. No one could gamble with the students’ futures.
This was a very serious matter.
Zhai You had no intention of challenging that principle and getting herself scolded. Instead, she cautiously tested the waters.
“What if I’m willing to fund an expansion of the campus?”
Principal Xu: “……”
All of a sudden, Zhai You looked much more pleasant to her.
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