After Transmigrating as a Scum Alpha, I Pampered the Best Actress Omega - Chapter 15

Jiang Bailu slowly opened her mouth, hesitated, 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.

She didn’t spare a single glance at the dishes placed directly in front of Zhai You. They were so greasy; she wondered how Zhai You could eat like that without getting fat or losing her figure.

After agonizing for a long time, Jiang Bailu’s chopsticks reached toward the Steamed Fish in the center of the table. Zhai You immediately dragged the plate closer to her.

The flavor of the steamed fish was light, which barely suited Jiang Bailu’s palate. Thinking about needing the strength to care for her mother, she took a few extra bites.

Zhai You let out a sigh of relief. Finally, it wasn’t just plain white porridge.

If she kept that up, Zhai You would have to tell the kitchen to use chicken broth to make the porridge, but thinking of that taste, Zhai You frowned.

It sounded like it would taste terrible.

Noticing that Jiang Bailu was repulsed by the heavy food 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, only the plate of steamed fish remained on the table, along with the Pig Trotter Soup that Zhai You had specifically ordered to be left behind.

Once Jiang Bailu finished her meal, Zhai You stared at her and firmly insisted she have a few sips.

Jiang Bailu’s anger began to simmer: “I’m not drinking it.”

“…Drink it.” Zhai You looked at Jiang Bailu’s pale, sallow face and gritted her teeth, determined to make her have at least one sip.

Look at how weak your body is.

She wasn’t expecting her to get healthy overnight, but she at least had to have a taste, right?

Going to great lengths, Zhai You tapped her finger on the table: “Drink one bowl, rest for a bit, then I’ll have the doctor come check on you.”

Jiang Bailu’s dark pupils fixed on her without blinking, equally stubborn: “I’m not drinking it. Too oily.”

…Oily? Zhai You felt the pig trotter soup was alright, but she glanced into the tureen anyway. Indeed, a few droplets of oil were floating on the surface.

She picked up a soup spoon and skimmed off the oil as thoroughly as possible.

“Better now?”

“Still oily…”

“If you keep being stubborn, I’ll have the doctor give you a full physical exam and put the bill in your name. You can pay me back later!”

Only then did Jiang Bailu stop arguing. She held her nose and swallowed the bowl of pig trotter soup, looking as pained as if she were drinking medicine.

In reality, the Zhai family’s chef was specially recruited and highly skilled. The pot of soup was fresh and delicious; beneath those few oil droplets was a wealth of collagen to replenish the patient’s energy. After finishing the bowl, a bit of color returned to Jiang Bailu’s face.

Zhai You didn’t force her to drink any more. At worst, she’d have another bowl ready the next day. Today was enough.

“Go back and rest once you’re done. In two days, you’re coming out with me,” Zhai You instructed.

“Mm,” Jiang Bailu responded. In truth, resting for these past three days had made her feel uneasy; hearing Zhai You give her an order actually made her feel more secure.

She couldn’t accept Zhai You’s kindness with a clear conscience.

Without even asking what they were doing in two days, Jiang Bailu agreed immediately.

Zhai You watched her for a few moments, then nodded to let her go back to her room while she herself headed downstairs.

The butler followed behind her: “Where is the Young Miss going?”

Zhai You: “The kitchen.”

“…”

So hungry.

Fortunately, the chef hadn’t thrown the food away. The Zhai You who had claimed to have “no appetite” was now eating the brought-down dishes with gusto, a sight that made the butler’s heart ache.

“Why come here instead of eating at the table?” The butler watched Zhai You standing before the kitchen island, completely lacking any “proper” image.

Zhai You gnawed on a bone vigorously, her eyes with their straight, long lashes glancing at the butler.

Then she went back to focusing on her meal.

She hadn’t used to get hungry so easily; perhaps it was because an Alpha’s body had high energy demands, making her hungrier and more prone to craving foods that provided quick energy.

When she was at the dining table, she really hadn’t noticed her own hunger, thinking only of whether Jiang Bailu was hungry.

It wasn’t until Jiang Bailu finished that she realized her own stomach was growling—she’d almost let Jiang Bailu hear it.

Jiang Bailu is so thin; why can’t she eat more good food?

Just you wait. Once her illness is fully gone, I won’t keep indulging her. I’ll gnaw on ribs right in front of her face—I refuse to believe she won’t get a craving!

Actually, she probably wouldn’t.

Zhai You recalled how Jiang Bailu looked at the meat for one second and immediately looked like she’d lost her appetite.

If it weren’t for their status gap, Zhai You felt Jiang Bailu would have been even more obvious about her disgust.

After finishing, Zhai You washed her hands. Just then, the family doctor arrived with some basic equipment to check on Jiang Bailu.

Her fever had broken. The doctor packed his things: “No need to continue the medicine; all medicine has some level of toxicity. Try diet therapy instead, and eat more fruit.”

Zhai You shot a look at Jiang Bailu: “Did you hear that?”

Jiang Bailu looked up at Zhai You, confused.

Her watery eyes and trembling pupils looked like a frightened deer staring at a fierce Zhai You.

Zhai You: “…Did… did you hear that?”

The doctor also shot a look at Zhai You: “Are you expecting her to cook?”

Zhai You: “…”

The doctor was irritable, regardless of whether she was his employer: “Leave that to the chef. Stop causing trouble.”

With that, he went to find the butler to discuss the matter.

He felt Zhai You was highly unreliable and that he needed to talk to the butler instead.

The butler listened to the doctor’s report with a frown, his eyes full of dislike for Jiang Bailu.

The Young Miss is so good to her, yet she’s ungrateful, and even the doctor is blaming the Miss.

His poor Young Miss—since when did she ever have to act like this?

The “arrogant and domineering” Young Miss that outsiders saw was the real Zhai You.

She never had to worry about much; as long as she was happy, it was fine. And the Zhai family would satisfy her every whim.

The butler didn’t speak. He listened while keeping an eye on Zhai You and Jiang Bailu. Jiang Bailu kept her head down, nodding occasionally.

This made the butler feel irritable, and he finally understood Madam’s perspective.

“I understand.” The butler looked coldly at the doctor. “I wonder, how long have you been working for the Zhai family?”

The doctor froze.

He had worked for the Zhai family for a long time, especially in the past when he would visit frequently.

Why was the butler suddenly asking this?

The butler gave a slow smile that didn’t reach his eyes: “It’s nothing. Thank you for your hard work.”

Not long after the soon-to-be-unlucky doctor left, Zhai You received another call from Su Luo.

Su Luo complained with exaggerated tone: “Eldest Miss, are you coming or not? One minute you say no, the next you say yes, then you tell me to wait a few more days. Exactly how many days is ‘a few’?”

She’d almost forgotten about this guy. Zhai You brushed him off nonchalantly: “In two days, just two more days—”

Su Luo: “If I wait any longer, my parents are going to get fed up with me.”

No matter how much a playboy messes around, he can’t stay away from home for too long.

“If you weren’t Zhai You, I’d definitely have lost my temper by now,” Su Luo grumbled indignantly.

“The ‘little kid’ is sick; I can’t get away,” Zhai You said helplessly.

Su Luo was stunned: “I haven’t heard about your parents having another one? Are they finally planning to ‘delete the account’ and start over? Why are you taking such good care of it? What if it tries to take your inheritance one day?”

What on earth goes on in the minds of these rich kids?

“Let them take it.” Zhai You was getting impatient.

“How is that person I asked you to contact?”

“They’re coming to the resort this afternoon. Why do you think I’m rushing you? If they leave, I can’t make them stay,” Su Luo said.

Thinking of the person she’d asked Su Luo to contact, Zhai You glanced toward the room that used to be hers, then withdrew her gaze. It really couldn’t be delayed any longer: “I’m coming now. Once this is done, I’ll owe you a favor.”

Zhai You changed her clothes, grabbed her phone and cards, and headed out.

She aimed to be back before nightfall.

She sped the whole way, arriving at the Su family resort two hours later.

The moment she stepped out of the car, Su Luo was waiting a short distance ahead.

Su Luo was a famous playboy in the rich kids’ circle. Every day, he either thought about playing or was busy playing.

Even the original host had thought about earning a bit in the entertainment industry—even if she’d only lost money so far—but Su Luo truly had zero ambition.

The original host had a decent relationship with him; in fact, the sponsorship contract had been Su Luo’s idea.

When Zhai You discovered this from the chat logs, she almost wanted to tear him apart.

If it weren’t for Su Luo, pursuing Jiang Bailu wouldn’t be this difficult. But before that, she still needed a favor from him.

“Are you sure it’s the principal of No. 1 Middle School?” Zhai You walked up and asked.

“Heh, I have some connections. Of course I’m sure.” Su Luo looked displeased. “But why are you looking for that old woman? You graduated from university years ago.”

Zhai You didn’t want to explain, but she knew if she didn’t say something, Su Luo would keep pestering her.

“I need her help for a drama I want to film.”

Su Luo was shocked: “You still haven’t given up? What’s the charm of the entertainment industry? Isn’t playing around enough?”

What’s the charm of the entertainment industry?

There is none.

Since Zhai You was rich, she didn’t need to struggle. No “circle” had much charm for her.

But Jiang Bailu was in it.

Jiang Bailu was still a newcomer; since she loved acting, Zhai You would protect her journey. That was the attraction for Zhai You, and the reason she was looking for that “old woman.”

Old woman, old woman… Zhai You’s brow arched: “I don’t even know the principal’s name yet.”

“Oh, what was it again?” Su Luo scratched his head. “I think people call her Sister Meng—”

Xu Meng.

However, few people used her full name. Since becoming principal, people almost exclusively called her Principal Xu.

Principal Xu was in her fifties. About to retire, she held a great deal of prestige.

Over the past few days, Su Luo had pulled strings to invite Principal Xu to the resort. She was currently inside.

Zhai You didn’t waste time. Once she found out where the woman was, she went to find her.

Director Guo wanted to film at No. 1 Middle School, but Principal Xu had refused.

That was the reason Zhai You had come to find her.

Zhai You had heard that the reason Principal Xu refused was because Zhai You was in the cast, and she worried about the reputation of No. 1 Middle School.

Zhai You: …

It was quite unfair, yet hard to defend, which made her feel a bit miserable.

If she withdrew and let Jiang Bailu act, Principal Xu might agree, and Jiang Bailu would have a chance at a brilliant 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, she had to be the one in the screen debut.

The first on-screen kiss… it had to be her, right?

Thinking of this, Zhai You found the legendary Principal Xu.

As a Beta, Principal Xu didn’t have the exaggeratedly outstanding looks of an Alpha or Omega. At fifty-plus years old, she looked quite ordinary, if not for the aura of authority she carried.

But it was that unique “principal’s air” that made her stand out instantly.

Zhai You walked over: “Hello, you must be Principal Xu?”

Principal Xu was taking a stroll, chatting with someone beside her.

Seeing Zhai You, she recognized her immediately. Her expression was very flat, showing no joy or displeasure: “Is there something you need from me?”

The principal’s authority made Zhai You—who used to keep a low profile at school—feel a momentary pang of guilt, but she bravely spoke her mind: “I have a favor to ask.”

“How rare,” Principal Xu smiled. “The Eldest Miss Zhai actually has a favor to ask me.”

“I know, right?” Zhai You gave a bashful smile.

“It has to be Principal Xu. If the Principal agrees to help, I’m willing to do whatever you say.”

A hint of surprise flickered in Principal Xu’s eyes. She wondered what she had that could make Zhai You personally come and humble herself; she was curious enough to listen: “Tell me then.”

“It’s about the film crew.” Zhai You glanced at the person beside Principal Xu.

Time was tight, so she got straight to the point.

“I heard Director Guo contacted you, but you didn’t agree. I wanted to come and try my luck.”

So that was it. Principal Xu was enlightened, yet even more surprised.

Forget the internet.

Just consider how the students at No. 1 Middle School talked about Zhai You.

“She’s basically a giant infant.”

“Oh my god, did she really come back from studying abroad? She can’t even solve these simple problems.”

“A stinking rich second-generation who relies on her family’s money.”

“Just seeing her makes me annoyed…”

Principal Xu didn’t pay much attention to entertainment industry gossip, but just walking around campus, she could hear students’ offhand comments about Zhai You.

It was terrible. From head to toe, except for her face, everything about this person was terrible.

Not only would she refuse, but even if she agreed, the students of No. 1 Middle School would probably want to throw eggs once they found out.

Of course, Principal Xu believed her honest students wouldn’t actually do that.

What surprised Principal Xu was that everyone knew Zhai You only entered the industry for fun.

Yet she had actually come in person for the sake of a drama.

Despite her surprise, Principal Xu stuck to her script: “Filming takes too long. it would interfere with the students’ studies. They are in high school; it’s their most important time, and they shouldn’t be disturbed.”

Zhai You didn’t believe Director Guo hadn’t explained this already.

Filming certainly wouldn’t involve the regular students, and it was usually scheduled for holiday periods.

But as long as Principal Xu insisted on that reason, no one could do anything. No one could gamble with the students’ futures.

It was a very serious matter.

Zhai You didn’t plan to hit that wall and get scolded; she just tentatively asked: “What if I’m willing to fund an expansion of the campus?”

Principal Xu: “…”

Suddenly, Zhai You looked a lot more pleasing to the eye.