Chapter 14

Because she stayed up late the night before, Bai Manruo slept until noon. When she woke up, her head still felt a bit heavy and groggy.

She washed up quickly and headed out for lunch, only to find Butler Li standing in the main hall.

Tidying her messy hair, Bai Manruo turned and asked, “Butler Li, why are you here? Where is Miss Ji?”

Butler Li suppressed her displeasure at seeing the girl looking like she had just rolled out of bed, but she still relayed the Young Mistress’s message: “The lunch on the table was prepared for you by the Young Mistress. She had business to attend to this morning, so she arranged for the driver to take you.”

Bai Manruo nodded with a casual “oh” and sat down at the dining table to start eating with practiced ease.

Seeing her lack of decorum, Butler Li’s frown deepened. She couldn’t help but lecture her: “You need to understand that you are a servant brought here to take care of Miss Ji, not to enjoy yourself! As a servant, not only do you sleep until noon, you don’t even know when your mistress leaves.”

Bai Manruo focused on her lunch, silently switching to “mute” mode. It wasn’t the first or second time Butler Li had targeted her; she was used to it. She would have been happy to eat at the villa area, but the boss wouldn’t allow it.

Seeing her eating as if nothing was happening—like a punch landing on cotton—Butler Li lectured for a bit longer and then left.

After finishing her meal, Bai Manruo had the driver take her directly to the recording site. Since the official filming wouldn’t start until tomorrow, she dressed very casually. When she arrived, she noticed the other two guests were clearly dressed to the nines, especially Gu Ran.

Gu Ran walked toward her, slowing down as she passed with her suitcase. She swept a contemptuous gaze up and down [bailiantales.com]at Bai Manruo’s outfit and let out a disdainful snort.

Perhaps it was the invisible clash of Alpha pheromones; Gu Ran had always viewed Bai Manruo as an imaginary rival. Every time they stood together, Bai Manruo stole all the attention, which made Gu Ran’s heart even more unbalanced.

Bai Manruo treated her like thin air, walking right past her to politely greet the director and the other Omega.

A flicker of distortion crossed Gu Ran’s face, but she masked it a second later. She gripped the handle of her suitcase tighter. No rush. We’ll see what happens once the show starts.

The director had invited Bai Manruo specifically because of the “black search” scandal, seeing both her beauty and her trending potential. Insiders knew the scandal was leaked by Bai Manruo’s agent—who also happened to be Gu Ran’s agent. It was easy to imagine the grudge between the two.

The director had expected Bai Manruo to decline the invitation, but she had agreed quite readily. Having both of them on a dating show together would surely give the program a massive boost in views. To avoid unnecessary conflict before filming, the director arranged for their rooms to be far apart.

Bai Manruo dropped off her luggage and immediately went to cooperate with the photoshoot. She knew exactly why she was here—for the three million yuan—so she wasn’t stupid enough to make things ugly with Gu Ran before the cameras even started rolling.

After her solo shots, she needed to take photos with the other Omega.

During a break earlier, she had chatted with the Omega, whose name was Xu Huanxin. She was a popular rising star. Despite being a newcomer, she had already played opposite various award-winning actresses, leading to much speculation online about her background and resources.

She’s so impressive; why would she suddenly want to join a small dating show? Bai Manruo accidentally thought out loud.

Xu Huanxin stared at her for read the original at bailiantales.coma few seconds, then smiled and said, “If I said it was because of you, would you believe me?”

“Because of… me?” Bai Manruo shook her head, assuming she was joking, since it was their first time meeting.

Seeing her disbelief, Xu Huanxin was about to speak when a staff member walked over: “Teachers, we’re ready to shoot.”

Bai Manruo stood up eagerly to cooperate. Only work leads to three million yuan!

During the shoot, she wasn’t sure if she was being too sensitive, but she felt the physical contact during the poses was a bit… intimate. Fortunately, their chemistry was good, and the shoot finished quickly.

After removing her makeup, Bai Manruo was exhausted, so she politely declined Xu Huanxin’s invitation for a late-night snack. She returned to her room, showered, changed into comfortable pajamas, and lay on the hotel bed, unable to sleep.

Bai Manruo hugged her pillow, thinking that the bed in this five-star hotel wasn’t as comfortable as she imagined—it wasn’t nearly as soft as the beds in the castle. She wondered if Miss Ji had returned to the castle yet. If she had known, she would have gotten up earlier; maybe they could have seen each other.

It was her first time realizing she could be “homesick” for a specific bed.

Bai Manruo stared at the ceiling with wide-awake eyes, having no appetite for dinner either. As she was dazing on the bed, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Who is it this late? She scratched her head in confusion and went to open the door.

Xu Huanxin’s eyes lit up slightly when she saw Bai Manruo in her blue spaghetti-strap nightgown. She lifted the bags in her hand and said, “I didn’t want to unauthorized copydisturb your rest, but during the shoot, you mentioned you liked street food. I happened to pass by and bought some; it won’t taste good if it gets cold.”

Lured by the aroma, Bai Manruo subconsciously swallowed. Seeing how thoughtful she was, she invited her in: “Thanks for the trouble. I was just speaking casually, really.”

Despite her words, her hands were very honest as she took the snacks. There was even her favorite stinky tofu inside! She had held back from eating it when she visited the snack street earlier because she was afraid of smelling like it when she returned to the castle.

Bai Manruo had just taken a bite when her phone rang.

When she saw the caller ID, her eyes sparkled, and she immediately hit “Accept.”