Chapter 20.2

She stared dazedly at the sky outside the window. It seemed this was the first time she had ever slept this late.

Zhai You’s bed was huge and soft, but before this, Jiang Bailu had always slept stiffly in one corner out of resistance and had never been in the mood to enjoy it.

Before coming to the Zhai residence, the bed in her rented apartment had been small and narrow, the room filled with dampness that made sleeping uncomfortable. With so many worries on her mind, Jiang Bailu had never been able to fall into deep sleep either.

She usually only slept a hurried five or six hours before waking up before dawn.

But today, the sky outside was already bright.

Large clouds drifted aimlessly through the sky, the passage of time leisurely and unhurried, gradually calming Jiang Bailu’s heart.

She patted the pillow. It felt even softer than the stuffed doll she had received as a child.

While Jiang Bailu was staring blankly at the dazzlingly luxurious room, she heard knocking at the door. The rhythm was hurried at first, then gradually slowed, becoming cautious and tentative.

It was Zhai You.

Jiang Bailu had already grown accustomed to the sound of her knocking. Zhai You always seemed to arrive as though she were timing herself with a stopwatch.

So punctual that, at this moment, it made Jiang Bailu feel strangely reassured.

She pressed a hand to her chest and felt the rhythm of her heartbeat gradually synchronize with the knocking.

Outside the door, Zhai You tilted her head. Normally, Jiang Bailu would have opened the door by now, so why hadn’t she today?

Had she overslept?

Zhai You was about to knock again. Her fingers touched the door, but she didn’t lift them.

Every time she woke up, Zhai You couldn’t wait to come see Jiang Bailu. But thinking back, Jiang Bailu was always neat and tidy whenever she opened the door, as though she had already been awake for a long time.

She should let her sleep a little longer today.

Zhai You lowered her hand, then immediately ​unauthorized copy​started worrying whether her knocking had already disturbed Jiang Bailu.

She stood in front of the door tangled in indecision until Jiang Bailu opened it.

Jiang Bailu was wearing the clothes she had bought yesterday. The style fit her perfectly and suited her very well.

Qiao Yan really did have a good eye.

That woman knew exactly how to use clothing to attract attention.

Jiang Bailu had certainly attracted Zhai You’s attention. After the initial flash of amazement in her eyes, Zhai You’s gaze landed on Jiang Bailu’s exposed shoulder.

Snow-white skin, so delicate that it looked as though the slightest touch would leave a mark.

Zhai You’s eyes flickered. “What brand do you use?”

Jiang Bailu: “?”

“Body lotion. How are you even whiter than me?” Read on BaiLianTales Zhai You compared Jiang Bailu’s skin to the complexion she had always been proud of.

There was a saying: no matter how pale ordinary skin was, it still couldn’t compare with naturally cool-toned fair skin.

It was innate.

Breakfast that morning was plain congee with an abundant selection of side dishes.

Zhai You picked up an egg tossed in vinaigrette and took a small bite.

Father Zhai and Mother Zhai weren’t there. Otherwise, Jiang Bailu truly wouldn’t know how to respond if the subject of pregnancy came up again.

Zhai You seemed completely used to their absence. She didn’t even ask the butler where they had gone. When she noticed Jiang Bailu looking at her, she put down the half-eaten egg. “They probably went off somewhere to enjoy their private couple time again.”

Jiang Bailu nodded, then asked, “What is your friend like?”

Zhai You fell silent.

She didn’t know either.

Although Su Luo had readily agreed to help last time, when she arranged to meet him this time, all he had mentioned was whether he could meet Jiang Bailu.

As for whether he was easy to get along with, Zhai You honestly couldn’t say.

She herself didn’t care. At worst, she simply wouldn’t associate with him anymore.

But Jiang Bailu was different.

Jiang Bailu wasn’t part of the rich second-generation circle. If Zhai You brought her over, she would only be there as Zhai You’s companion, and there was a chance people might look down on her.

The only reason Zhai You had agreed was that she wanted to take the opportunity to show off and establish the facts.

She wanted everyone to know that Jiang Bailu had married her.

No matter how formidable the righteous love interest was, she hadn’t built herself up from nothing either. She also belonged to the wealthy second-generation circle…

Or perhaps the third or fourth generation.

But as long as people in their social circle acknowledged that Zhai You and Jiang Bailu were together,

if the righteous love interest later tried to steal someone else’s partner, it would be rather inappropriate.

Heh. She, Zhai You, had simply acted first.

So what if Jiang Bailu was the righteous love interest’s white moonlight?

“Hmm?” Jiang Bailu hadn’t received an answer and assumed Zhai You hadn’t heard her.

“It’s nothing.” Zhai You was also worried Jiang Bailu might be bullied. “Just stay by my side and adapt to the situation.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Bailu understood.

This wasn’t going to be something simple.

She ate her congee in small bites, thinking Zhai You probably wanted to “officially announce” their relationship in order to fend off all those people coveting her beauty.

If she met someone she truly liked later, they could simply find an opportunity to divorce.

Two years.

Zhai You should be able to meet someone she liked within two years, right?

When Jiang Bailu received the car keys again, she didn’t go to the driver’s seat. “You drive this time.”

Zhai You: “……”

Once she had free time, she was definitely going to secretly learn how to drive.

“You drive. I’m giving you this car anyway.” Zhai You said casually, “It’ll help you keep up appearances.”

Jiang Bailu: ……?

That counted as keeping up appearances?

Would it really work?

She couldn’t exactly argue, so she got into the driver’s seat, opened the navigation, and headed toward their destination.

Only after they arrived and the car came to a stop did Zhai You’s expression turn ugly.

A horse ranch…

What did people do at a horse ranch?

Ride horses.

This seemed to be one of the standard pastimes of rich people.

But Zhai You couldn’t even drive, let alone ride a horse.

Had these friends invited her out today not only to embarrass Jiang Bailu, but also to humiliate her?!

Actually, Zhai You had misunderstood.

As mentioned before, the Zhai family had simply struck it lucky and suddenly become rich.

As nouveau riche, they naturally couldn’t compare in background with families that had been wealthy for several generations.

But Father Zhai and Mother Zhai didn’t care about comparing themselves to anyone. If they had money, they would simply go out and enjoy themselves. Why bother comparing?

The problem was that whenever the two of them went out to have fun, they always forgot little Zhai You at home.

So little Zhai You had no choice but to integrate herself into this circle of rich second-generation kids.

Her family didn’t own a resort or a horse ranch like the Su family did, but…

nouveau riche were generous with money!

Combined with her beautiful face, the original owner had still managed to thrive in this social circle.

But that was the original owner.

The current Zhai You didn’t know how to ride a horse.

“Do you know how to ride?” Zhai You asked.

“You don’t.”

Then she immediately denied it herself.

She suddenly remembered that in the original novel, there had been a scene designed to show off the romance where the righteous love interest personally taught Jiang Bailu how to ride a horse, creating plenty of physical contact between them.

Just thinking about it made Zhai You’s teeth ache.

If only she knew how to ride.

Then she could teach Jiang Bailu herself, hand over hand.

Jiang Bailu’s moist eyes looked outside the car window, ignoring Zhai You’s denial. “I do.”

She concealed the faint trace of nostalgia that had appeared in her expression and turned back, only to see Zhai You’s face practically screaming:

You betrayed me. You betrayed the original novel. Your character settings are conflicting.

Jiang Bailu found it amusing.

The closer she got to Zhai You, the more she could sense that puppy-like cuteness about her.

It always made people want to smooth down her fur.

“I rode when I was little.” Jiang Bailu couldn’t help explaining, as though hiding it from Zhai You would somehow be a crime.

She lowered her eyes as she continued.

“My father worked for a wealthy family back then. The family retired an old horse, so my father brought it home and let me ride it.”

That period had truly been fun.

Her mother hadn’t needed to worry about supporting the family, and after work, her father would occasionally bring home little surprises for them.

All she had needed to do was grow up carefree.

Zhai You listened quietly. “What happened to your father later?”

She didn’t know anything about Jiang Bailu’s father. The novel had never mentioned him. It had only described how much effort Jiang Bailu put into caring for her mother.

The original owner had even despicably seized on that weakness, leaving Jiang Bailu unable to resist.

The story had begun with Jiang Bailu falling into an abyss, the suffering so intense it had made Zhai You feel unable to breathe while reading.

If the original owner hadn’t shared her name, she would have wanted to curse her out herself.

“Later, he died,” Jiang Bailu said lightly, her expression suddenly cooling.

Although Zhai You bringing it up had reminded Jiang Bailu of something unpleasant, she couldn’t blame Zhai You.

It was merely curiosity between friends.

Jiang Bailu finished speaking casually and prepared to get out of the car when, without warning, Zhai You’s hand landed on top of her head.

Her hand moved slightly, just like Jiang Bailu had wanted to do to Zhai You before, gently smoothing down her hair.

Jiang Bailu’s hair was soft and obedient. If Zhai You actually rubbed it, she would mess it up, so she only moved her hand slightly.

Even then, she was reluctant to pull it away.

“From now on…” Zhai You wanted to make a heartfelt confession.

But their relationship was a little complicated, so in the end, she could only sigh.

“I’ll be your dad.”

Jiang Bailu got out of the car.

Zhai You followed behind her awkwardly.

She really had blurted that out without thinking.

“Zhai You, over here!” Su Luo had noticed that flashy sports car a long time ago. One glance and he knew it was Zhai You’s style.

When no one got out for a long time, he had started wondering whether the two of them were doing something naughty inside.

Su Luo tactfully didn’t disturb them.

Only after they got out did he lazily raise a hand in greeting.

His gaze shifted toward Jiang Bailu, casually sizing her up.

Knowing that Zhai You liked Jiang Bailu, this group of thoroughly disreputable friends had already found opportunities to investigate her.

The Jiang Bailu they knew looked sickly, with a pale face and such weakness that she seemed ready to collapse at any moment.

Although her eyes were resilient, her smile was so faint it barely looked like a smile.

She had a beautiful face, but in a completely different style from Zhai You.

When Su Luo had seen her photos, he had thought Zhai You could probably bully this woman until she cried.

Now Jiang Bailu’s complexion was rosier, and there was even a faint trace of irritation in her eyes.

Sure enough, Zhai You had been bullying her.

They were all friends who usually only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun. Since Zhai You had brought someone over, Su Luo naturally had to acknowledge her somehow. “So you’re the one who got a marriage certificate with Zhai You?”

Zhai You stepped in front of Jiang Bailu and answered for her. “Yes.”

Jiang Bailu smiled politely and nodded toward Su Luo.

She looked different from the photos again.

She really did resemble a newlywed little wife.

Su Luo’s tone turned meaningful. “You’ve been taking pretty good care of her.”

Zhai You modestly replied, “Naturally.”

“They’re all waiting inside. Let’s go in first. Haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Didn’t we just see each other yesterday?”

“I meant them…”

Yesterday, Zhai You had rushed in and rushed back out again, treating Su Luo entirely like a tool.

They had barely seen each other, and she still had the nerve to bring it up.

“Since you just got married, I’ll let it go.” Su Luo started probing indirectly.

“When are you two holding the wedding?”

She had silently gone and registered her marriage.

Su Luo had almost been unable to contact her. Then when he finally did, she casually announced that she was married.

Normally, people in their circle held the wedding first and registered afterward.

That was because once the legal registration was complete, the property implications became enormous. Very few people could clearly divide their assets before marriage.

Zhai You’s decision had come so suddenly that they couldn’t help wondering whether she had simply never thought about that issue.

The Zhai family’s wealth was extraordinary. If it could support Zhai You’s extravagant spending, how could Read on BaiLianTales it possibly be an ordinary amount?

If Jiang Bailu didn’t look so unlike that kind of person, they might have suspected she had used some method to trick Zhai You.

Zhai You smiled lightly. “Soon.”

Jiang Bailu, who had been trying to figure out how to remain silent, widened her eyes and looked over in confusion.

When had they discussed holding a wedding?

Did the two of them…

even need a wedding?

Zhai You quickly moved away from the topic.

She wanted to wait until Jiang Bailu genuinely liked her before holding the wedding.

But in front of Su Luo, she couldn’t exactly say she had no idea when it would happen.

All she could say was soon.

She hoped it would be soon too.

Zhai You sighed vaguely.

Jiang Bailu, who had remained silent beside her, suddenly reminded her, “I have to film.”

Right!

Zhai You’s eyes lit up, and she quickly added, “We just accepted a new drama. Filming should take a few months.”

A few months.

Maybe that would be enough time for her to win Jiang Bailu over?

Su Luo looked between the two of them in confusion.

He had only asked when.

Was all this necessary?

Still, filming—

“I get it. Secret marriage.” Su Luo nodded knowingly.

Zhai You fell silent.

You don’t know shit.

She desperately wanted the entire internet to know.

But the media seemed cursed, suppressing the news with ridiculous efficiency.

Unless someone deliberately searched for “Zhai You and Jiang Bailu marriage,” they couldn’t [unauthorized copy]find even the slightest trace of related news.

She had even tried announcing it publicly on her main account, only for her internet connection to cut out so often that she nearly broke down.

Only then did Zhai You vaguely understand.

It was probably the plot interfering.

In the original plot, Jiang Bailu was supposed to marry the righteous love interest.

What did she, this cannon fodder, count for?

But the plot only described how she abused Jiang Bailu. It hadn’t described in detail what she did during all the extra time.

That was why Zhai You had been able to openly drag Jiang Bailu off to register their marriage, yet the whole thing remained so low-key they might as well have been ordinary passersby.

What would happen once the righteous love interest returned?

Zhai You genuinely couldn’t say.

For now, she was deliberately trying to let more people know that she and Jiang Bailu were married.

She pursed her lips and didn’t bother correcting Su Luo.

It would be exhausting, and correcting him wouldn’t accomplish anything.

As long as the fact that they were married became established.

Sure enough, there was a group of similarly aged “friends” inside the horse ranch.

Several looked familiar. Zhai You had seen them in the private room before.

When they saw Jiang Bailu beside her, they all whistled in unison, their frivolous behavior immediately irritating.

Su Luo walked over and greeted them. “Stop whistling. This is your sister-in-law.”

The disreputable friends stared in shock. “Sister-in-law?”

How had they suddenly gotten a sister-in-law?

Su Luo looked surprised. “You guys still don’t know?”

He turned toward Zhai You. “I never realized my position in your heart was actually different from theirs.”

Something none of them knew—

he, Su Luo, knew.

How wonderful.

These people normally fooled around however they liked and had never once considered tying themselves down with marriage.

Now one of them had suddenly gotten married, and everyone inexplicably became restrained.

Before Zhai You and Jiang Bailu came in, they had even discussed how to tease Jiang Bailu.

After all, if someone was only being kept, then money was all it took.

Who would respect that?

But a sister-in-law was different.

Half of Zhai You’s money now belonged to her.

Unless Zhai You clearly showed that she disliked Jiang Bailu, they couldn’t casually mess around anymore.

Could Zhai You possibly dislike Jiang Bailu?

Impossible.

It had been love at first sight!

Zhai You certainly wouldn’t let them bully Jiang stolen contentBailu either. She immediately placed a hand on Jiang Bailu’s shoulder and drew her closer.

Zhai You lowered her voice beside Jiang Bailu’s ear. “Play along.”

She didn’t need to say more.

Jiang Bailu had already expected before coming that some physical contact would be unavoidable.

Zhai You’s hand remained fairly proper. It only rested halfway over her shoulder to make them look intimate, while her palm didn’t actually touch Jiang Bailu.

Zhai You’s fingers twitched.

It took enormous effort to restrain herself.

Her beautiful eyes curved into a smile. “I need to stay with her later, so I won’t ride with you guys.”

The friends exchanged glances. “Sister Zhai You really spoils her…”

So her previous claims of liking and favoring Jiang Bailu hadn’t been jokes.

The moment she got the chance, she had gone straight and married her.

Judging by the smug look all over her face, she was practically saying:

I already got mine. You losers are still single.

They were all usually single dogs who never cared about watching others show affection.

Now that they had finally tasted it themselves, they wanted to spit right in Zhai You’s face.

What a bastard.

“That’s boring. We finally got together after so long,” someone deliberately provoked.

“You can come along if you want…” Zhai You hesitated before saying.

She led Jiang Bailu away. “We’ll go change first.”

The horse ranch had riding outfits in all sizes available for rent, so Zhai You didn’t need to buy anything extra.

But thinking about how Jiang Bailu liked cleanliness, she still bought her a new set.

As for herself, she used the one left behind by the original owner.

Now that she needed to save money, Zhai You could only make herself suffer.

There were many changing rooms, divided by both gender and pheromone type.

Even if both were women, a female Alpha entering a female Omega’s changing room would still count as harassment.

But Zhai You did it anyway.

They had already marked each other, so the pheromone influence wouldn’t be as strong.

And besides, they were married.

If they even changed separately, it would look too fake.

Jiang Bailu clutched the riding clothes and pressed her lips together silently.

She understood the logic, but the moment she saw Zhai You enter, fear still inevitably rose inside her.

Omegas were too vulnerable.

Faced with an Alpha, they had almost no ability to resist.

Ever since she was little, Jiang Bailu had always avoided Alphas whenever possible.

Even though she reacted strongly to Zhai You’s pheromones, being alone in the same room and having to undress in front of her still made Jiang Bailu uncomfortable.

She gripped the clothes tightly, genuinely not daring to undress.

Jiang Bailu’s snow-white face flushed faintly. “Could you turn around?”

Zhai You rubbed her nose. “Okay.”

She turned around and heard the rustling sound of Jiang Bailu taking off her clothes, followed by the sounds of her putting on the riding outfit.

Jiang Bailu changed very slowly and seemed unfamiliar with it.

Several times, Zhai You wanted to ask—

Do you need help?

Absolutely not because she wanted to take advantage of her.

She would simply be helping.

But the moment she thought that, she remembered Jiang Bailu’s glowing white skin.

And—

that slender figure.

Zhai You lowered her head and tried to silently recite a calming mantra.

But who the hell could remember how a calming mantra went?!

Trembling, she pulled out her phone, opened a music app, and searched for a calming mantra.

Without paying attention, she forgot to lower the volume.

The entire changing room was suddenly filled with the background music of the calming mantra.

Now Zhai You knew exactly how it went.

She would probably never forget it for the rest of her life.

Jiang Bailu’s hands paused while dressing.

She was shocked for all of two seconds.

Then she remembered it was Zhai You and no longer found it strange.

A little while later, Jiang Bailu said, “I’m done. You can change now.”

She walked over to where Zhai You had been standing and turned her back.

Holding her phone, Zhai You calmly stopped the music.

She thought—

Jiang Bailu didn’t need this song.

Zhai You began changing.

To prevent anyone from misunderstanding and thinking she had done something inside, she changed extremely quickly.

But because she was rushing, she accidentally knocked her phone onto the floor.

Zhai You bent down to pick it up.

The moment she crouched, she discovered Jiang Bailu had turned around.

Zhai You still hadn’t finished putting on her clothes. Her hand had only just touched the phone on the floor when the calming mantra started playing again at the worst possible moment.

With the calming mantra playing in the background,

Zhai You suddenly spoke.

“Are you satisfied with what you see, woman?”

Jiang Bailu had turned around instinctively after hearing something fall.

And what she saw was Zhai You read the original at bailiantales.comcrouching on the floor with her clothes in disarray, her red hair partially covering her body.

Zhai You raised her head, her expression cool and aloof. Her red lips parted, and out came a classic domineering-CEO line.

Jiang Bailu’s eyes shifted toward the phone on the floor.

Zhai You had already grabbed it tightly in her hand.

The calming mantra just kept playing.

And under circumstances like these, unexpectedly, suggestive thoughts surfaced in both of their minds at the same time.

“This song is noisy.” Mortified into anger, Zhai You directly shut off her phone.

Jiang Bailu wanted to ask, Then why were you listening to it?

But instead she nodded. “It is a little.”

The changing room fell silent.

Zhai You tugged at her clothes, failing to notice that Jiang Bailu’s ears had turned completely red.

She wasn’t nearly as calm as she looked.

There were no pheromones influencing them.

They simply thought—

the other person was incredibly tempting.

Especially Jiang Bailu, whose panicked gaze darted everywhere before involuntarily landing on Zhai You again.