Chapter 2

Jiang Bailu stood outside the hotel room, her eyes unfocused.

She thought of what the doctor had told her.

“The patient is already in the late stages of cancer and needs chemotherapy. The surgery will cost around two hundred thousand. It would be best to have the operation done as soon as possible. The patient’s condition can’t afford any more delays.”

Jiang Bailu held the key card in her hand, both hands trembling. No matter what she did, she couldn’t bring herself to open the door.

This was all for her mother.

Jiang Bailu raised a hand and touched her face.

With a beep, the door opened.

She walked inside. The room was empty. Zhai You hadn’t returned yet.

Thinking about what was going to happen next, Jiang Bailu’s eyes filled with humiliation and anger. But she had no choice!

For a moment, she didn’t know whether she despised that person more, or herself.

She quietly lay down on the bed and began to wait.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when the strong scent of an Alpha’s pheromones entered Jiang Bailu’s nose. The fragrance of roses rushed toward her, a crisp, modern floral scent that made Jiang Bailu’s gaze lose focus for an instant.

Judging by scent alone, she really liked Zhai You.

Then Jiang Bailu’s eyes cleared again.

But this woman had actually come straight to her with a hotel key card and a contract to keep her as a mistress. If it weren’t for her mother’s surgery fees, she never would have come!

Breaking free from the intoxicating pheromones, Jiang Bailu wrapped herself in wariness like a hedgehog covered in spines.

Zhai You didn’t come into the bedroom.

Jiang Bailu froze for a moment. She heard Zhai You enter the bathroom, followed by the rushing sound of running water.

It made Jiang Bailu’s heart pound endlessly.

Before her heartbeat could settle, rapid footsteps sounded again. That person seemed to rush into the room in such a hurry that Jiang Bailu couldn’t help wondering.

Did she really take a shower?

*

“Jiang Bailu?”

“………………”

What was going on? Hadn’t she texted her assistant and told her that Jiang Bailu didn’t need to come?

Zhai You stared blankly at Jiang Bailu in front of her. She looked exactly as she had been described in the story.

She was staring at Zhai You warily, but because she had large, round doe eyes, she only looked even more pitiful. Especially with skin so delicate it looked like even the lightest pinch would leave a red mark.

It stirred up a very strong impulse.

Zhai You ran the tip of her tongue over one of her canine teeth. Just now, she had actually been thinking almost frantically about how she could bite through Jiang Bailu’s gland.

She wanted to control her.

She wanted to possess her.

The sudden impulse made Zhai You uncomfortable. She stolen content didn’t know whether it was because of the plot’s influence or this damned Alpha/Omega dynamic.

Whichever it was, it kept Zhai You from acting rashly.

Zhai You stood where she was, every breath she exhaled burning hot, like a wild beast that had lost its reason.

She smells so good.

That was the only thought filling Zhai You’s mind.

As though sensing the danger she was in, Jiang Bailu’s face filled with fear. She raised her snow-white face, her black-and-white eyes glistening with damp tears.

There was a fragility about her that made people want to destroy her.

“You said… it would only be for one year.”

When Jiang Bailu’s trembling voice sounded, Zhai You paused.

One year. That seemed a little short.

Zhai You had no idea what had gone wrong with her thoughts. As though possessed, she wanted to stretch the time out longer, even as the last bit of reason in her mind frantically reminded her:

She’s the female lead! You’re cannon fodder! Wake up!

Seeing that Zhai You wasn’t speaking, Jiang Bailu sat on the bed, anxiously rubbing her hands together.

The other woman’s gaze fell openly over her body without the slightest attempt to hide it, making Jiang Bailu even more frightened. Her eyes were misty with tears, her expression innocent and panicked.

Zhai You was a very cruel person. That was what Jiang Bailu believed.

She had heard from her manager that an actress had once accidentally offended Zhai You, only for Zhai You to cut off every one of her resources, leaving her with no chance of ever working in the entertainment industry again.

If possible, Jiang Bailu still wanted to achieve her dream.

Now, she bit her lower lip with her pearly white teeth and pleaded weakly, “Just one year, okay?”

Zhai You’s gaze rested on her, as though appraising her. After a moment, she said,

“No.”

Rumble—

A bolt of lightning split the sky, and the thunder made the windows hum. The entire city was shrouded in heavy rain.

Jiang Bailu’s brows knitted tightly together, her knuckles turning white from how hard she clenched her hands.

She said no. Zhai You said no.

What do I do, what do I do, what do I do…

Zhai You let out a low laugh from deep in her throat. Watching Jiang Bailu’s snow-white face turn deathly pale, she said, “You can go.”

Jiang Bailu’s eyes widened in shock, suspecting she had heard wrong.

Only then did she realize what she was truly afraid of.

She couldn’t leave. If she left, what would happen to her mother’s medical bills? Right now, she wasn’t afraid of humiliation or disgrace. She was only worried about her mother’s health.

Her mother had supported their family all these years.

She couldn’t let her mother die from cancer! At the thought of this, Jiang Bailu suppressed the indescribable feelings in her heart and pleaded with Zhai You, “Then tell me, how long?”

Looking at Jiang Bailu’s slightly aggrieved expression,

Zhai You couldn’t help wanting to move closer and pinch her cheeks.

How could someone this adorable be the same person from the plot? Zhai You lowered her eyelashes, her thoughts in disarray. She also understood why Jiang Bailu was begging her.

It was nothing more than medical expenses and surgery fees.

She thought of all those zeroes in her bank account.

She felt a little reluctant to let Jiang Bailu suffer. It wasn’t as though she couldn’t afford it.

But if she really signed that contract, she would truly be walking straight into a dead end. Touching the righteous love interest’s woman—wouldn’t that just be asking to die?

On Jiang Bailu’s pale face, her pupils trembled uneasily.

Maybe it was only her imagination, but she felt as though Zhai You had become a completely different person and had lost interest in her.

Zhai You quietly studied her.

She walked over and reached out to touch Jiang Bailu’s cheek. Sure enough, it was cold.

Zhai You withdrew her hand.

In the plot, the original owner had fallen in love with Jiang Bailu at first sight.

She hadn’t expected that after transmigrating here with the same name and surname, she would also fall under this curse. Watching Jiang Bailu become nervous because of her touch, Zhai You curled her lips, but there was no smile in her eyes.

She was thinking about something.

Something very serious.

Jiang Bailu watched Zhai You withdraw her hand, her lips moving slightly. So she really did find her disgusting now? The fact that she was actually worried about being disliked made her chest ache.

Jiang Bailu lowered her head helplessly. “Then… then could you…”

Asking someone to lend her money was something Jiang Bailu had never done before.

But circumstances had forced her into this position. Jiang Bailu mentally went through everyone around her and realized that it seemed only Zhai You could help her.

As long as Zhai You was willing.

Zhai You’s expression was serious, as though she wanted to hear what Jiang Bailu was going to say.

But the woman’s clear voice kept breaking off, making Zhai You want even more to push her down and make her produce different sounds.

She rested her fingers against her arm and tapped lightly.

Then made a decision.

Maybe the plot was unavoidable after all, and that was why she had fallen for Jiang Bailu? Watching every tiny reaction Jiang Bailu ​unauthorized copy​made, Zhai You couldn’t stop her heart from fluttering.

It was a little like an old house catching fire—someone who had never loved anyone suddenly falling in love.

In any case, it was strange, and she didn’t want to admit it.

Her eyes flickered. “How about this? Let’s change the contract.”

Jiang Bailu stared at her blankly. “What kind of contract?”

“A marriage agreement.”

*

Zhai You slept wonderfully through the night.

The bed in a luxury hotel really was comfortable. She had actually fallen asleep without the slightest psychological burden. When she woke up, she felt refreshed from head ​bailiantales.com​to toe, so refreshed that she wanted to lie in bed and play a couple rounds of games just for fun.

She reached toward the bedside table and picked up her phone.

Jiang Bailu had already gone back.

Last night, she had proposed a new agreement to Jiang Bailu.

If she already liked her this much, why not give it a try?

That suicidal contract to keep her as a mistress was definitely out of the question. Zhai You hadn’t lost that much of her rationality yet, so she had tactfully suggested a marriage agreement instead.

The original owner clearly had something wrong with her head and had no idea how to pursue someone she liked.

But Zhai You wasn’t the original owner.

First, she would trick Jiang Bailu into staying and marry her. Then, once Jiang Bailu fell for her, they [stolen content]could let things develop naturally.

If Jiang Bailu still didn’t end up liking her in the end, at least Zhai You could say she had tried. Even if she failed, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

Besides, she hadn’t done anything excessive to Jiang Bailu.

Even if Jiang Bailu later ended up with that righteous love interest, Zhai You should still be able to live safely and peacefully, right?

Still, she didn’t want to lose.

Muttering to herself, Zhai You opened the browser and searched for her own name.

First, she needed to understand her situation.

The moment she searched, aside from information saying she was the eldest daughter of AL Group, everything else was people cursing her out.

Zhai You hurriedly closed the browser and pretended she hadn’t seen anything.

Only after opening WX did her mood gradually settle.

The internet was terrifying.

After digging through the chat history to piece together the original owner’s recent circumstances and find the address of her home, Zhai You finally relaxed.

She lay back down on the bed, stared at the ceiling, and let out two little chuckles.

She had transmigrated into a book, and now she had both money and a wife.

A phone call interrupted her thoughts.

The contact name was “Old Hag,” scaring Zhai You into thinking it was the original owner’s mother. Only after answering did she realize it was her manager.

“Where are you right now? You have a scheduled appearance.”

“Oh. I’m not going,” Zhai You replied casually.

She had money now anyway. She could afford to break one or two contracts.

Manager: “……”

She really had no idea what to do with this nouveau riche young miss.

Seriously, what had she entered the entertainment industry for? She did nothing all day, then on a whim would suddenly tell her manager that she wanted some work and wanted to be a normal female celebrity.

Then she would turn around and say she wasn’t going.

The manager was furious, but she also couldn’t afford to offend her.

Money made you everyone’s ancestor. After repeating that to herself several times, she still couldn’t stop herself unauthorized copy from saying irritably, “Then why don’t you break the contract for Deliberate Love too while you’re at it?”

“Break it… break… No!” Zhai You frowned as something suddenly occurred to her.

She couldn’t follow the same path as the original owner.

Jiang Bailu had mentioned countless times in the novel that she loved acting.

Since everyone already thought Zhai You had joined the production because of Jiang Bailu, she couldn’t let them think that for nothing.

What was this manager’s name again? “Sister Ji, arrange for Jiang Bailu to join the production. She can play whatever role she wants. Give her even higher priority than me!”

Sister Ji: “Have you finally gone insane chasing after a woman?”