After The Mission Failed, The Scumbag Alpha Ran Away - Chapter 19

19: Miss Lou, I Have Something to Tell You

Time passed minute by minute, but Lou Huaiche still hadn’t replied to Jiang Youbai.

The staff member’s gaze was filled with confusion and a faint trace of disdain. Under such scrutiny, Jiang Youbai’s smile gradually became harder to maintain.

Poor Her Highness the Princess, who had lived for twenty years, weathered countless storms, and was the empire’s first heir not directly related to the emperor. This was the first time in her life she had been looked at with such ambiguous yet contemptuous eyes.

Jiang Youbai waited a little longer but couldn’t endure the awkwardness any further. She steeled herself and said to the staff member, “Could you please go ask Miss Lou for me?”

The staff member asked, “How should I address you?”

“Just say my surname is Bai.”

“Oh, and what’s your business? If it’s not important, you should wait outside.”

Jiang Youbai couldn’t reveal that she was the princess, nor had she expected to be stopped. For a moment, she couldn’t come up with a reason and stammered, “She left something with me.”

The staff member replied indifferently, “What is it? I’ll take it to Miss Lou now.”

Jiang Youbai hesitated, “Well… actually…”

The staff member in front of her scoffed upon seeing this. “Ms. Bai, please go back. This is a filming set. We don’t let just anyone in.”

Jiang Youbai: “…” I can’t exactly say that Lou Huaici’s rut is coming up in a few days, can I?

Without an appointment or Lou Huaici’s permission, the staff member firmly blocked Jiang Youbai at the entrance, refusing to let her pass.

Jiang Youbai stood awkwardly for two minutes before deciding to leave for the time being.

Just as she turned to leave, she bumped into Ning Yunze. Ning Yunze looked at her in surprise and blurted out, “What are you doing here?”

Jiang Youbai replied, “I came to see Miss Lou but was stopped at the door.”

Ning Yunze let out an “Oh” and said cryptically, “Given your status, it’s normal to be stopped without an appointment.”

His intention was that Jiang Youbai, as the princess, couldn’t reveal her identity. But to the staff member’s ears, it sounded like something else entirely.

In this day and age, a young Alpha bringing flowers to visit a popular Omega star, without an appointment or prior notice, and unable to provide a proper identity—what else could she be but a kept gigolo?

Ning Yunze continued, “Why didn’t you make an appointment? If you told Xiao Lou, she would have notified them.”

Jiang Youbai touched her face. “I made her angry, so she didn’t mention it to me.”

The staff member gloated quietly, muttering under their breath, “Gold digger.”

Only then did Ning Yunze realize what was happening. He was momentarily stunned. Calculating the time, Lou Huaici’s rut was approaching. He sucked in a breath and said to the staff member, “I know this… uh, lady. I’ll take her in.”

The staff member glanced at Jiang Youbai and muttered, “Doesn’t even know your surname. Not very favored, huh?”

Ning Yunze and Jiang Youbai wore identical expressions of embarrassment.

The staff member let them pass, and Ning Yunze led Jiang Youbai inside.

The filming set was vast, with multiple areas for different scenes.

The path to Lou Huaiche was quite long. Jiang Youbai and Ning Yunze had a distant relationship, further complicated by their potential engagement, making the atmosphere between them awkward. Thus, neither spoke a word along the way.

Only the sound of their footsteps accompanied them.

After a while, Ning Yunze glanced around. Ensuring no one else could hear, he suddenly spoke, his voice cool and detached: “Your Highness, unless I’m mistaken, you’ve already marked Xiao Lou. What is your relationship with her now?”

Jiang Youbai faintly sensed that Ning Yunze was different from her impression of him.

She had only met Ning Yunze a few times. The first time was at the Prime Minister’s residence, where Ning Yunze was so frightened he hid in the garden, weeping pitifully. Subsequent interactions were brief, so Jiang Youbai’s impression of him was that of a delicate young master.

This current demeanor was far from that.

When he turned to look at her, Jiang Youbai felt a strange familiarity in his gaze.

Jiang Youbai replied nonchalantly, “Hmm? Why do you ask?”

Ning Yunze lifted his chin, his beautiful face adorned with petulant anger. “You might become my fiancée in the future. I refuse to marry someone involved with my friend!”

“That night, she went into heat. We only did a temporary mark.”

Jiang Youbai clearly sensed Ning Yunze’s relief.

He said fiercely, “If you two get together, I won’t let you off.”

When they arrived at the filming location, Lou Huaiche was sitting in a corner, reading a script.

The set was spacious enough to accommodate nearly a thousand people, bustling with activity. Cold machinery stood in disarray. Lou Huaici, wearing a crimson dress, leaned against the window, elegantly flipping through the pages of her script.

Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows, piercing the dimness and refracting into bizarre colors that fell upon Lou Huaici. The entire world seemed separated from her. A poisonous flower bloomed alone under the eerie light, swaying with a breathtaking, intoxicating beauty.

The sharp madness subsided, replaced by a decadent aura of death emanating from Lou Huaici.

When not facing anyone, this was how Lou Huaiche was.

Like a wisp of ethereal smoke, she seemed ready to dissipate at any moment. Her life was so fragile it could shatter at a touch.

It evoked pity and, even more, the dark impulses in everyone’s hearts.

Unconsciously, Jiang Youbai didn’t want to see a living person like this and averted her gaze to the script in Lou Huaici’s hands.

Few people read physical books these days. Paper books had become more of a status symbol.

Civilization and artifacts from Earth’s era were scarce in humanity’s new home. Rarity increased value, and these items became markers of status. The higher one’s status, the more they favored such complex, outdated, yet expensive things.

For example, clothing. Ordinary people mostly chose new fabrics and simple designs, while the royal family’s ceremonial attire was the opposite—elaborate in style and made from Earth’s original fabrics.

When humanity migrated from Earth, half of these old items were left behind. Only the royal family could afford to use them now.

Lou Huaiche noticed Jiang Youbai following Ning Yunze and frowned imperceptibly.

She didn’t want to see Jiang Youbai. Doing so inevitably reminded her of that afternoon a few days ago when she had been momentarily tempted by Jiang Youbai.

She closed the script in her hands and stood up gracefully, walking toward them. “Xiao Ze, you’re here?”

Turning to Jiang Youbai, she asked, “Your Highness, why are you here?”

Her attitude was clear, her emotions vivid—not only had she not expected Jiang Youbai to come, but she also seemed unwelcoming.

Under Lou Huaici’s gaze, Her Highness the Princess curled her lips into a faint, mischievous smile. “Miss Lou, I’ve fallen out of favor. I’m here to win it back.”

Lou Huaici: “Huh?”

Jiang Youbai repeated, “What can I do? I’m just Miss Lou’s… little lover. Neglected and unloved, I had no choice but to bring flowers to regain your favor.”

Lou Huaici’s bewitching face showed confusion, mixed with shock and speechlessness.

It took her a long time to find her voice. She murmured, “If you’ve gone mad, go see a doctor.”

“Ahem.” Ning Yunze coughed. “At the entrance, Her Highness didn’t have an appointment and was stopped by the staff. There was a small misunderstanding.”

Jiang Youbai gave Lou Huaiche a resentful look.

Lou Huaiche said, “I don’t want to know what the misunderstanding was. I’ve been busy filming and forgot to notify them.”

“Miss Lou, do you know something?” Jiang Youbai suddenly asked.

“Know what?”

“Right now, you’re like one of those heartless Alphas who abandon their pregnant wives, saying you’re too busy with work…” Jiang Youbai forced a smile. “Miss Lou, I’m pregnant with your child.”

Lou Huaiche smacked Jiang Youbai in the face with her script.

Caught off guard, Jiang Youbai staggered back. The fracture in her collarbone hadn’t fully healed, and the pain made her gasp. “Ouch—”

Lou Huaiche said coldly, “Your Highness, have you no shame?”

Jiang Youbai suppressed the pain in her collarbone, pushed the script away, and smiled. “Of course I do. But for Miss Lou, no dignity is too much to sacrifice.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Ning Yunze’s expression darken.

Ning Yunze seemed lost in thought, visibly upset.

Soon, he stepped forward, grabbed Lou Huaici’s hand, and cooed, “Xiao Lou, you promised to rehearse with me. How come as soon as Her Highness arrives, you forget about me?”

Lou Huaiche sighed softly and ruffled his hair. “I haven’t forgotten you.”

Here it is again.

That sense of dissonance.

Jiang Youbai narrowed her eyes and asked, “Young Master Ning and Miss Lou seem very close.”

Ning Yunze turned his head, glanced quickly at Jiang Youbai, then turned back and hugged Lou Huaici’s arm. “Of course! Xiao Lou and I grew up together.”

The circles of Alphas and Omegas didn’t overlap much, and Jiang Youbai rarely interacted with peers. She didn’t know much about these matters.

The Prime Minister had only taken office in recent years and was relatively obscure in the capital before that. It wasn’t unusual for the Ning and Lou families to have old ties.

Jiang Youbai nodded. “Then, Miss Lou, would it be convenient for me to stay here for a while?”

Lou Huaici: “No.”

“Your rut is coming soon.” Just mentioning the words made Jiang Youbai’s gland ache. She touched the gland on the back of her neck, still traumatized. “It’s best to do a temporary mark before your rut. How about it?”

Lou Huaiche retorted, “Your Highness scared?”

“Not scared, but I’ve been injured recently. I accidentally fell and fractured my collarbone.”

The old emperor attacking his niece was ultimately a scandal. Jiang Youbai couldn’t think of any other accident that could fracture a collarbone these days, so she spouted nonsense. Even she found it amusing and couldn’t help but chuckle.

Lou Huaiche didn’t believe her either. She vaguely guessed the truth but couldn’t be bothered to engage. After some thought, she said, “Then wait for me in the crew’s lounge. I’ll rehearse with Xiao Ning first.”

What’s there to rehearse?

Jiang Youbai was displeased but maintained her gentle, elegant smile. She nodded slightly. “As Miss Lou wishes.”