Chapter 24.1

They weren’t actually touching, yet Jiang Bailu could still feel the heat radiating from Zhai You’s body.

That temperature kept rising, as though it were about to melt Jiang Bailu. Zhai You’s breath brushed against the shell of her ear, while strands of her hair fell into the hollow of Jiang Bailu’s shoulder.

The flush against her snow-white skin was especially striking.

Zhai You’s tone was so natural that Jiang Bailu couldn’t even bring herself to be wary. If she pulled away, it would almost seem as though she were the one overthinking things.

Uncomfortably, Jiang Bailu shifted her gaze away from the notebook. She could no longer absorb the words written there. All she could think about was—

How was she supposed to experience it?

She had been born an Omega. How could she suddenly become an Alpha and experience what an Alpha felt?

The room was covered in carpet, and neither of them was sitting in a chair. In their current position, all Zhai You had to do was give a slight push and Jiang Bailu would obediently fall backward.

Zhai You narrowed her eyes and moved closer to Jiang Bailu’s neck.

It smelled so good here.

A temporary mark could suppress pheromones, but to the person who had marked her, the temptation was amplified instead.

Zhai You was always thinking about how she could get closer to Jiang Bailu, how she could touch her. Once she finally found an opportunity, she could smell those rich pheromones, making her mouth water with craving.

She wanted to lick.

She wanted to bite.

It was like an animal instinct.

Zhai You brushed Jiang Bailu’s hair aside. “It won’t hurt this time. I’m just letting you experience what an Alpha feels.”

That uncontrollable, unbearably restless, urgent, impulsive emotion an Alpha felt when facing an Omega she liked.

Zhai You was restraining herself. Even her pupils had unusually narrowed into vertical slits, while her intense, domineering aura wrapped around Jiang Bailu from every direction, sending a clear signal that escape would not be permitted.

“How about it?” Zhai You narrowed her eyes and coaxed her.

Jiang Bailu answered with her actions.

She cooperatively lowered her head, signaling for Zhai You to bite.

She had already been marked once anyway. Acting coy now would be a little ridiculous, wouldn’t it?

Jiang Bailu’s attention drifted, and she actually began persuading herself internally.

She concealed her anticipation very well, even lowering her gaze back to the notebook.

Written there was the female lead’s internal monologue:

I want to mark her—

With permission granted, Zhai You happily bit into the soft flesh at the back of Jiang Bailu’s neck.

Her canine tooth carefully pierced the gland, while she continued battling against instinct—

part of her wanted to recklessly let go and mark Jiang Bailu to her heart’s content, while another part treasured her too much and could only hold her gently between her lips.

The tip of her tongue lightly swept across the Omega’s delicate gland, full of soothing intent.

The temperature around them rose step by step.

The two of them were like fish stranded without water, each treating the other as the source they desperately needed.

Zhai You didn’t let go.

Instead, she released her pheromones with even greater care, guiding Jiang Bailu to follow her rhythm.

No. No—

Jiang Bailu murmured internally.

This was Zhai You.

Not the person she was supposed to portray.

Zhai You was right in front of her, so close she could reach out and grab her.

Using her body to press Jiang Bailu down onto the carpet, Zhai You still hadn’t released her bite.

Jiang Bailu didn’t struggle either.

Her pale hands gripped the notebook tightly. A thin layer of sweat formed along her wrists and palms.

Her leg pushed lightly against Zhai You, but the force was too weak for Zhai You to notice.

Instead, Zhai You instinctively tightened her arms around Jiang Bailu’s head and leaned even closer.

Jiang Bailu’s pheromone flavor filled her mouth, stimulating Zhai You until she nearly lost control.

Her eyes reddened.

The feeling came so fiercely and naturally that she opened her mouth and unexpectedly let out a low whimper.

At that instant, Jiang Bailu remembered a dog she had once raised.

Whenever she pushed the dog away, it would think she no longer liked it and let out pitiful, aggrieved whines.

Zhai You lifted her head from Jiang Bailu’s neck and looked down at her from above.

Her eyes shone astonishingly brightly in the room, so intensely that Jiang Bailu even felt the urge to run.

But the moment she moved, Zhai You blinked and forcibly restrained every thought.

Only the hand braced against the floor continued trembling.

“Hah… ha…” Zhai You panted, looking into Jiang Bailu’s eyes before suddenly laughing.

“Do you feel it now? An Alpha—”

Fighting against the instinct born from liking someone.

Feelings burning so fiercely they nearly scorched her from the inside, yet still trembling as she left the other person plenty of room to choose.

Her eyes always contained that person.

Jiang Bailu’s heart began pounding violently from the shock.

*

Kong Yubai stared at the only point of light within the darkness.

Her left hand pressed tightly over her right, her eyes carrying a crazed chill.

Once she realized the other person couldn’t see her, every expression vanished from her face.

Beneath that calm exterior, madness screamed relentlessly:

Grab her.

Grab her, grab her.

The other person forced out a few syllables. The dry, rough voice made a hint of pity rise in Kong Yubai’s heart, only for it to transform into violent anger moments later.

“You’re trying to leave me.”

Kong Yubai walked forward, her gaze tracing every detail of the other person’s body.

Her expression was affectionate yet obsessive, carrying the relief of someone who finally no longer needed to pretend and could do whatever she wanted.

Unable to restrain herself, Kong Yubai placed her hand against the other person’s face.

It was mercilessly avoided.

Her entire body stiffened.

Yet she didn’t blame the other person. Instead, she smiled gently. “How could you bear to leave me?”

“I’ll treat you very well. I’ve always stayed by your side. No matter when you turn around, you’ll always be able to see me.”

“But lately, you’ve been running too fast.”

“I can’t keep up anymore.”

“That’s why I had to keep you here. Are you blaming me?”

“How could you blame me? I love you so much—”

Kong Yubai’s tone was gentle, just like how they normally spoke to each other, carrying a faint trace of warmth.

The other person said something.

Kong Yubai’s expression turned sorrowful, and she shook her head. “Why would I blame you? Loving you is my own choice. I’m willing.”

She paused for a moment, then began shaking her head again, indicating that she didn’t want to hear the other person speak.

Kong Yubai started checking the restraints on the other person’s body.

After confirming that she couldn’t escape, Kong Yubai moved closer again.

She bent down and buried her face against the other person’s neck, breathing deeply.

To keep the other person from feeling afraid, she even thoughtfully covered her eyes with one hand.

Then she greedily inhaled the scent that made her sink deeper and deeper.

Her other hand patted the person’s back as she murmured indistinctly, “Good girl.”

*

The director’s section was deathly silent.

No one dared make a sound.

They could even see the veins standing out on Jiang Bailu’s hands from excitement. She had completely immersed herself in pheromones that didn’t exist, her entire demeanor unruly yet delicate.

Poor, fortunate Betas would never experience the instinctive desire of being conquered by pheromones in their entire lives.

All they could do was scream internally:

Is this really how an Omega is supposed to act?

This can’t be right!

It wasn’t the first time an Omega had played an Alpha, but usually those actors already had a suitable appearance, combined with directing, filming techniques, and editing so the audience wouldn’t feel taken out of the story.

When Zhai You proposed having Jiang Bailu play an Alpha, Director Guo and Luo Yin had both felt there was no problem.

Her appearance suited the role.

Everything else could be left to technique.

But Jiang Bailu’s every movement now went far beyond acting.

It was as though her eyes truly had turned red with the desire to mark a beloved lover she loved yet couldn’t touch.

Beneath the endless madness was a faint trace of sorrow that made people’s hearts ache.

Watching this scene made them profoundly understand what could be called aesthetics.

When Jiang Bailu came back to herself, she was kneeling on the floor, still unable to pull herself out of the scene.

Her mind was a complete mess.

And no one was even reminding her.

If Zhai You hadn’t started clapping, the entire audition room probably would have remained silent for a long time.

The assistant director picked up his pen and twirled it, wanting to write something but unable to think of anything.

He looked at Director Guo and silently questioned him:

This is the person you called a connection hire?

Please give them a few more connection hires like this.

“Ahem.” Director Guo coughed and shoved the screenwriter beside him, urging Luo Yin to stand up and say something.

You writers should be good with words. Hurry up and save the situation.

Luo Yin clicked her tongue impatiently in her heart.

Isn’t this supposed to be the director’s job?

After they pushed responsibility back and forth, it was still Zhai You who walked onto the stage and helped Jiang Bailu up. “You did really well.”

Even sitting in the audience, Zhai You had felt a little frightened.

She wanted Jiang Bailu to like her, sure, but this kind of dangerous affection really was…

Zhai You’s emotions were complicated.

Part of her wanted to try it.

Another part worried that if it actually happened, she might never be able to turn things around.

How could an Alpha possibly worry about something like this?

The only explanation was that Jiang Bailu had acted too well.

She had looked exactly like an Alpha.

Jiang Bailu slowly emerged from the emotions of the performance.

She didn’t want to admit that before beginning, all she had been thinking about was the “experience” Zhai You had described before—

and what she had truly experienced afterward.

She had thought about Zhai You’s emotions and then projected them onto Kong Yubai.

But why had Zhai You fit so perfectly?

Jiang Bailu tiredly half-closed her eyes and looked up at Zhai You.

That familiar smile was still on her face, bright like rippling spring water.

Jiang Bailu lowered her head.

At that moment, Director Guo finally spoke. “Ahem. You performed very well. I look forward to working with you.”

Jiang Bailu was only a newcomer.

No matter how well her appearance matched, Director Guo’s expectation had merely been for her to pass.

At worst, he could slowly polish her performance and teach her step by step.

But now…

What a dangerous newcomer.

He shook his head and secretly sighed that they had found a treasure.

Then he remembered that Zhai You had strongly insisted this treasure be cast in the role, so he looked at Zhai You again.

“You’re next.”

Director Guo had a staff member hand Zhai You the script.

This time, he was genuinely uneasy.

Zhai You had played roles before, but most of them had simply been cameos relying on her stunning beauty.

Even then, it was enough to see her acting talent.

Which was approximately nonexistent.

She simply played herself.

Arrogant and confident, as though the moment she opened her mouth she would say—

“Guards, drag him away and execute him!”

Her presence was too powerful.

She couldn’t suppress it.

No role could suppress it.

More importantly, Zhai You had never even tried to suppress herself.

She refused to lose to anyone.

Whenever it was Zhai You’s scene, everyone else automatically became supporting characters.

All anyone could see was Zhai You’s domineeringly smiling face.

After the initial amazement wore off and Zhai You disappeared from the scene, the audience could no longer return to the drama emotionally.

Everything felt different.

Looking back at the original characters afterward only made them seem bland and tasteless.

So angry viewers would flood the production’s official Weibo and Zhai You’s own comments, begging her to stop ruining television dramas.

…Movies too!

Only after helping Jiang Bailu sit down did Zhai You naturally reach out and take the script from the staff member.

She flipped through several pages, then looked up. “Do you have any others?”

The staff member hurriedly answered, “Yes, yes, yes!”

Immediately afterward, they gathered all the second female lead’s audition scenes together for Zhai You to choose from.

Assistant director: This is even more outrageous than an ordinary connection hire.

What an eye-opening experience.

Most of Deliberate Love focused on the female lead, Kong Yubai.

The rest of the characters existed largely around her.

As a result, the second female lead didn’t actually have that much screen time, only around half as much.

She was more like the white moonlight and the cinnabar mole.

After Zhai You selected a script, she glanced through it a few times and walked onto the stage.

Jiang Bailu’s eyes widened as she eagerly anticipated Zhai You’s performance.

After rehearsing together over the past few days, Jiang Bailu knew what level Zhai You could reach.

She was definitely the kind of person who, if she persisted, would someday make everyone’s eyes light up.

Zhai You rotated her arms and stretched out her body.

Then.

Then…