The Reborn Scummy A and the Sickly O Got Together - Chapter 48

Time flew by, and September was just around the corner. The unbearable, stifling summer in the capital was finally coming to an end. Though the summer sun was beautiful, the cooler autumn temperatures were undoubtedly more suitable for human survival.

Feng Baiming had already switched to long-sleeved shirts and turned off the air conditioning indoors, no longer blasting cold air 24/7.

It was around this time that she saw Zhang Zhuoran again. On the day they first met, Feng Baiming hadn’t even bothered to remember his face. The only thing that stuck in her mind was how perfectly he fit the stereotypical mold of an alpha like a textbook example.

But before this encounter, there had been an unpleasant incident.

This had to do with Luo Mingyue starting school in early September. However, she had arrived a week early for military training, ensuring that the freshmen would get to experience the tail end of the capital’s scorching summer.

Before this, Feng Baiming hadn’t felt that Luo Mingyue’s presence had brought any major changes to her life. But once the girl disappeared off to school, she suddenly found herself with a lot more idle time.

Occasionally, she went shopping or ate desserts with the Lu sisters as a way to relax. The sisters would exchange glances and ask if she really needed to buy clothes or indulge in sweets too.

Under their questioning gazes, Feng Baiming calmly explained that, yes, she also needed clothes and food, so there was no need to look so shocked.

Lu Xi and Lu Le teased her, saying she looked like a fairy who survived on dew, it was hard to imagine her shopping and splurging like a regular omega.

To be honest, she could handle their banter with grace. It was all part of the friendly socializing among omegas. But when their conversations revolved entirely around clothes, jewelry, luxury skincare, makeup, and eventually even cosmetic procedures and plastic surgery.

Feng Baiming found herself bored to the point of drowsiness. She had never imagined these topics could be discussed endlessly.

When Lu Le sighed and said, “My nose looks too big in photos. I want to get a rhinoplasty to narrow my nostrils,” Feng Baiming took a closer look and offered her opinion kindly:

“Your nose is perfectly proportioned. Photos flatten facial features, which makes noses appear wider. In real life, you’re already very beautiful.”

This made Lu Le happy, but she still insisted on getting the surgery. Feng Baiming then suggested that her dissatisfaction with her appearance might stem from psychological reasons.

“Maybe you should talk to a therapist instead and try to relax.”

What she really thought was: Rather than plastic surgery, maybe you should visit a psychiatric department at a top-tier hospital for an evaluation first.

She believed her words were polite and patient enough, she certainly wasn’t going to lie and encourage her to go under the knife. She simply couldn’t understand why Lu Le would narrow her nostrils just to look better in photos. In real life, people would just think her nose looked unnaturally thin.

It looked like she’d struggle to breathe, making one wonder if she was getting enough oxygen with each inhale.

But the conversation had already turned awkward. Lu Le glared at her and snapped, “Why would I need a therapist? Do you think plastic surgery is beneath you or something?”

Feng Baiming denied it, reiterating that Lu Le was already beautiful and didn’t need any procedures.

Lu Le hovered between anger and restraint, so Lu Xi quickly steered the topic toward the season’s new haute couture gowns.

A random dress costing over a million, paired with jewelry, Feng Baiming listened with little interest. She just thought how great it would be if domestic brands could break into the luxury market. This sector was entirely monopolized by foreign companies, and the consequence of them defining and controlling the discourse was that all this money flowed overseas.

Everyone said the internet was a sunrise industry, while manufacturing was the foundation of a nation. But with dresses priced in the millions, who wouldn’t covet the fashion world? Was there any more speculative and lucrative industry than this?

Perhaps only pyramid schemes and telecom fraud.

At least you could actually touch a dress. Pyramid schemes and telecom fraud were outright zero-cost businesses not even a single dress needed to be produced.

Her thought was: she really wanted to create a fashion brand too. Just releasing ten dresses a year could fund hundreds of animal rescue organizations.

And it wouldn’t even be illegal, the only thing to worry about was antitrust investigations.

Lu Xi said, “The Dior haute couture from this season was worn by that award-winning actress. She issued press releases claiming she was the first to wear it, but a socialite had already worn it to a charity gala before her.”

Lu Le’s eyes sparkled as she listened. The two sisters picked through photos on their phones, critiquing them meticulously, saying the actress wore it more beautifully than the model but lacked the “wealthy aura” the socialite exuded.

When the phone was passed to Feng Baiming, the sisters urged her to join in the gossip. She glanced at it briefly before handing it back to Lu Xi. She didn’t understand how judging strangers could strengthen bonds or why they found it so enjoyable.

She asked, “What exactly is ‘wealthy aura’?”

Lu Le laughed. “How can you ask something like that? It’s the kind of upbringing money buys like how we carry ourselves differently from ordinary girls. Isn’t it obvious?”

Feng Baiming looked them over. The way Lu Xi and Lu Le gossiped about the actress and the socialite didn’t seem any different from other girls. No, she thought many of the so-called “ordinary girls” Lu Le mentioned probably weren’t even half as gossipy as these two.

She had been as polite as possible, but when conversations didn’t click, there was no forcing it. From then on, the three of them tacitly agreed that the sisters would do all the talking, no longer tossing topics to Feng Baiming.

And Feng Baiming was perfectly content with that. She had no intention of forcing politeness just to fit in.

God knew why those two could spend nearly two whole hours gossiping about celebrities!

It was the very next day that she overheard Lu Xi and Lu Le whispering behind her back saying no wonder she had no omega friends her age, that it was unbelievable she didn’t even have a close girlfriend.

So, who did Feng Baiming usually share gossip with?

Clearly, the sisters never considered that maybe Feng Baiming just didn’t enjoy gossip in the first place.

But in their eyes, she had already been labeled an oddity, acknowledged as outstanding yet also dismissed as unsociable, friendless, an unapproachable “flower on the high peak” out of touch with what young people talked about.

But the ancestral home’s three floors were full of winding corners, often creating blind spots.

The moment they turned the next one, they came face-to-face with the very subject of their gossip her expression cool, tinged with displeasure.

The two sisters secretly thought how unlucky they were to run into Feng Baiming right after badmouthing her. Caught red-handed, they could only awkwardly greet her with a “Sister Baiming” before hastily making their escape.

That same day, Lu Ping happened to bring Zhang Zhuoran to the Lu family residence.

Feng Baiming only remembered Zhang Zhuoran as the eldest alpha son of the Zhang family. When she encountered Lu Ping leading him through the living room toward the stairs, Lu Ping nodded casually and asked, “Xiaoluo’s military training ends today and she’s coming home. Would you like to pick her up?”

She replied, “I offered to pick up Xiaoyue, but she said everyone would be wearing identical uniforms and it would be chaotic. Finding her in the crowd would require pushing through the masses, so it’s better to just wait for her at home.”

Lu Ping agreed, “True, no need to join that commotion.”

After this brief exchange about Luo Mingyue, since they had no other connection their conversation naturally concluded as they prepared to go their separate ways.

However, Zhang Zhuoran, the muscular man behind Lu Ping with skin artificially tanned to a bronze complexion, had been staring at Feng Baiming the whole time.

He flashed a broad grin and called out loudly, “Long time no see, Feng Baiming!” His tone was blunt and familiar, as if they were old friends reuniting. Feng Baiming was taken aback, wondering if she’d forgotten some past acquaintance.

But racking her brains, she concluded this man must have had plastic surgery otherwise she couldn’t fathom who he might be.

Lu Ping, being no fool, prompted, “This is Zhang Zhuoran, the eldest son of Zhang Pharmaceuticals.”

Zhang Zhuoran declared, “Baiming and I go way back,” using an even more intimate form of address. Only upon hearing his name did Feng Baiming finally recognize him.

Zhang Zhuoran wore an expression of absolute confidence, as if anyone who’d met him should naturally remember him. Facing Feng Baiming’s genuinely puzzled look that turned to sudden realization, his confident demeanor finally cracked with visible frustration.

Clearly blaming this on Feng Baiming’s shortcomings, he couldn’t help but admire her beauty again before falling back on his standard omega-charming routine, only to receive the same cold rejection as that night before.

Feng Baiming made her complete disinterest unmistakably clear. Zhang Zhuoran finally shut his mouth, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and ignored her completely.

Once they reached the second floor, he complained to Lu Ping: “What a waste of such a pretty face. She might not have the voluptuous figure of white omegas, but that face is truly exquisite. Why does she have to be such a buzzkill?”

Lu Ping responded objectively, “That aloof personality has its own charm. Not all omegas should have identical personalities that would be the real disappointment.”

Zhang Zhuoran countered, “Omegas should know how to act cute and look at alphas with adoring eyes. What’s the point of being an omega otherwise? My mother even told me to pursue Feng Baiming, but with that personality, just imagining dating her makes me want to bang my head against the wall from boredom.”

Lu Ping couldn’t resist teasing, “Buddy, no offense, but you’re getting ahead of yourself. I don’t think you’d even succeed in chasing her.”

Zhang Zhuoran still wore an expression of utter confidence: “I just haven’t pursued them yet. I’ve dated aloof types like this before they all pretend to be reserved on the surface. But remember, even the most virtuous woman yields to persistent suitors. If I put in the effort, there’s no omega I can’t win over.”

Lu Ping suddenly felt tempted to introduce Zhang to his ex, that artsy beta girl, just to see what kind of sparks would fly between them.

Yet even at this point, Zhang Zhuoran harbored no special thoughts about Feng Baiming. If anything, he resented her for not giving him face and disliked the way she looked at him.

Her gaze held nothing—no admiration, none of the naive fragility typical of omegas, none of that delicate vulnerability always begging for protection.

But he soon realized this difference in gaze might simply reflect who stood before her.

Luo Mingyue arrived home around six, while dusk still lingered. The western sky blazed with layered clouds like flaming gauze, the sunset resembling celestial veils described in ancient poetry.

Feng Baiming sat cross-legged on the backyard lawn, her cotton house dress brushing mid-calf to reveal slender ankles clad in plain socks, scuffed canvas shoes kicked off carelessly as she reviewed printed graduation designs in the fading light.

By contrast, Luo appeared roughened by the elements. Despite ample sunscreen, her skin had darkened a shade, though her natural fairness merely shifted toward a golden wheat tone now.

Her hair was tied back, her oversized camouflage uniform swallowing her tall, lean frame. The collar gaped to expose sharply defined collarbones. For some inexplicable joy, she dashed across the lawn to stop behind Feng, still panting when she bent forward.

Feng looked up to see sweat droplets collecting in the hollows of those collarbones recalling yesterday’s idle chatter with Lu Xi about some actress marketing her “collarbones so exquisite they could cradle falling sweat.”

Today, Feng thought, some people really are born with even their collarbones beautifully shaped.

In the amber light, Luo’s sweat-glistening face shone with exhilaration as she wiped her brow. “The major transfer went through! My advisor tried convincing me to stay, said they needed guardian confirmation. Thank goodness it was Mom, she doesn’t care what I study, just that getting into A University already makes her proud.”

Her expression turned wistful. “If it’d been Grandmother, or if Mom had told her  switching to Classical Literature wouldn’t have been this smooth.”

Feng listened quietly, finding Luo’s rare excitement oddly contagious her genuine happiness somehow spreading warmth.

Luo plopped down onto the grass beside her, stretching long legs that inevitably drew admiring glances. Feng’s eyes traced their length before asking, “Are the pants too short?”

Bracing herself on outstretched arms, Luo tilted her head back laughing. “This is the largest size! I have to cinch the belt tight, the waistband’s huge.”

Feng Baiming’s gaze drifted to her waist again that impossibly slender curve cinched by a cheap palm-width belt, making it appear even more delicate.

She thought to herself: What a waist, what legs, Luo Mingyue truly had an enviable figure.

As Zhang Zhuoran passed by on his way to the bar with Lu Ping, he caught sight of Feng Baiming tilting her head to look at the person beside her on the lawn. Only then did he realize that Feng Baiming wasn’t incapable of tenderness and focus.

It was simply that the person wasn’t him, Zhang Zhuoran.

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