The Reborn Scummy A and the Sickly O Got Together - Chapter 52

Miss Lu the Third spoke at length, hoping only that Luo Mingyue would reflect on herself. Missing out on a girl like Feng Baiming, with her prestigious background, was likely the only stroke of luck Luo would have in this lifetime.

Never did she expect that, after working herself into a fury, Luo Mingyue’s focus would still land on that little brat, Lu Jia.

Miss Lu was so furious she nearly staggered backward. Pointing at the beautiful young alpha before her, she snapped, “I just don’t understand, what charm does Lu Jia even have? What, are you planning to break her and Zhang Zhuoran up now that they’re together?”

Luo Mingyue shook her head, then suddenly smiled and asked her mother softly, “Why would I? If my sister has found such a good match, I’d be the first to congratulate her.”

“Do you really mean that?” Miss Lu eyed her daughter with deep suspicion, not believing a single word.

“Mom.” Luo Mingyue called out gently, as if the brooding girl from moments ago had been nothing but an illusion. “Are you sure Lu Jia and Zhang Zhuoran are together?”

Miss Lu nearly retorted, “What’s it to you?” But her gossip-loving nature got the better of her, and she couldn’t help but blurt out, “If they’re not officially together, they’re at least very close. You’ve been away at school, so you haven’t seen that fool from the Zhang family showing up every day with roses in hand. Supposedly, they were for Feng Baiming, but whether she was avoiding him or not, she’s been nowhere to be seen lately. Next thing I know, those roses end up in Lu Jia’s hands.”

Miss Lu recalled that day when she had slept in till noon, lazily descending the stairs in her silk pajamas, yawning on her way to breakfast. As she passed the corridor, she happened to glance outside through the lattice window and caught sight of an ostentatiously large bouquet of fiery red roses, garish and eye-catching.

Just like Zhang Zhuoran himself. Every mainstream, cookie-cutter stereotype one could think of applied to him without fail.

Miss Lu mused to herself that nowadays, anyone chasing a girl ought to put in some thought. If the girl was bold, flamboyant, and outgoing, red roses might not be a bad choice. But for someone like Lu Jia, who played the delicate, pitiable little white flower, forget-me-nots or lilies would have been a better starting point.

Thanks to her 20/20 vision, Miss Lu could clearly see the white-clad girl clutching the bouquet of red roses, lowering her head toward Zhang Zhuoran with a shy smile reeking of lovesick sweetness. Meanwhile, Zhang Zhuoran stood with his arms crossed, looking thoroughly amused.

Miss Lu shook her head and scoffed. “Zhang Zhuoran must really think Lu Jia is some naive, innocent little thing. Since he can’t get Feng Baiming, he’s using our Lu family’s girls as appetizers. The phrase ‘more money than sense’ was practically made for him.”

Luo Mingyue nodded in agreement with her mother on this point. Having gotten the information she needed, she turned to leave without further pleasantries. Miss Lu, having vented her frustrations through gossip, felt most of her anger dissipate and was now willing to offer some kinder words.

Lazily, she called out to her daughter’s retreating figure, “You don’t seem as foolish as before. Tell me, do you really not like Feng Baiming?”

Luo Mingyue turned the doorknob and opened the door without hesitation.

“Are you truly certain you won’t regret it? One day, when you see someone else standing by her side, when her eyes no longer linger on you, when you look back on today and remember how deliberately you avoided her.”

Miss Lu enunciated each word clearly. “By then, even if you regret it, time won’t flow backward for you.”

Whether her daughter heard her or not remained unclear, there was only the soft click of the door closing.

Lu San suddenly felt a lingering fear and took two steps back, sitting on the sofa in the room. Those words didn’t seem directed at Luo Mingyue but rather at his naive self from eighteen years ago.

The Lu family ancestral home was always quiet at night. Located in Shangjing, it wasn’t far from the city center, yet its expansive grounds and carefully designed landscaping created an oasis of tranquility amidst the urban bustle.

Standing on the balcony of her room under the gentle moonlight, the tall and beautiful young woman wore a pensive expression, lost in thought amidst the sounds of insects and rustling wind.

The biggest difference in this second chance at life was Zhang Zhuoran. Tracing back to the root, in her previous life, Luo Mingyue had never accepted the invitation from the Zhang family’s young lady, and Feng Baiming had no further interactions with Zhang Zhuoran after that dinner, both sides simply had no interest in each other.

But in this life, Zhang Zhuoran had taken an interest in Feng Baiming, putting on a show of deep affection and even pursuing her to the Lu family. Then came the unexpected twist now, he was in an ambiguous phase with Lu Jia.

In her past life, neither Feng Baiming nor Lu Jia had ever had any connection with Zhang Zhuoran.

Compared to her mother, Luo Mingyue understood this male alpha far better: arrogant, and therefore simple-minded. Wealthy and well-connected, so he acted without restraint.

Zhang Zhuoran was the kind of person who, stripped of his family background and gender, would have no charm whatsoever. Or rather, even with such privileges, his shallow and tedious personality remained glaringly obvious.

She had never worried about Miss Feng ending up with someone like Zhang Zhuoran, it was simply impossible. Even Lu Jia, based on Luo Mingyue’s understanding of her, wouldn’t spare a second glance for an alpha with such a personality.

But after the incident with Qin Yan, her reputation in Shangjing’s social circles had already solidified as that of a scheming, promiscuous omega. Given her already awkward status, someone like Zhang Zhuoran might now be the floating log she desperately clung to.

So how could she stir the waters further?

It was the weekend, and Luo Mingyue, who always rose early, leaned against the balcony railing, staring into the distance in a daze when she spotted someone striding boldly toward the house, hands stuffed in his pockets.

As if sensing her gaze, the man looked up at her. Meanwhile, a slender girl in a pale dress, her long hair cascading down her back, gracefully made her way toward him.

Zhang Zhuoran didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed. Instead, he flashed Luo Mingyue a provocative smirk before wrapping an arm around the girl.

Lu Jia had been feeling somewhat restless lately. She had assumed that an alpha like Zhang Zhuoran, with his macho arrogance, would be easy to manipulate. Yet, to her surprise, he proved more challenging than even the aloof “prince” type like Qin Yan.

She wasn’t ignorant of the fact that genuine emotional connection was the key to high-quality romance. But Zhang Zhuoran was so arrogant and shallow that trying to engage him on a deeper level was like playing the lute to a cow, utterly futile.

With just a little flirtation, he had quickly taken the bait. On WeChat, he had already begun showering her with attention movie dates and dinners were child’s play. He had even asked outright if she liked the latest bag from C-brand, offering to take her shopping over the weekend. No need for her to pay or wait in line, his mother was an SVIP client at C-brand, having just spent twelve million on jewelry last month.

Lu Jia was a master at eliciting sympathy. She didn’t overtly express concern over Zhang Zhuoran’s parents’ divorce, misjudging the tone could come off as pity and provoke his resentment.

Lu Jia was quite skilled at this game. She deliberately brought up how her parents had divorced and abandoned her to her grandmother’s care, unloved by either parent, hoping to elicit Zhang Zhuoran’s sympathy.

But who would have thought his response would be: “So, do your parents still give you an allowance? When my mom divorced, she took half of my dad’s shares. She gets two hundred million in dividends every year, hahahaha.”

Even through the phone, she could practically hear the smugness in his tone. Anger surged from the pit of her stomach to her temples yet at the same time, the mention of hundreds of millions in dividends made her heart flutter.

So she did her best to express admiration, offering just the right amount of concern for Zhang Zhuoran’s mother. The flattery worked like a charm, puffing him up like a peacock in full display as he bragged endlessly about his family’s wealth. By the end of their conversation, she had a splitting headache. Sensing his waning interest, she dug through her photo album and sent him a few pictures of herself in a swimsuit, finally securing an invitation to go shopping for a bag over the weekend.

Of course, she declined, suggesting a movie and lunch instead. But Zhang Zhuoran scoffed, “What’s the big deal about a bag? You’re a Lu family young lady are you really so timid you can’t even accept something as trivial as a purse?”

At that moment, she nearly wanted to tear this alpha’s mouth off. She even wondered if this idiot Zhang Zhuoran was deliberately mocking her background.

Beyond that, what truly frustrated her was that their relationship remained stuck in ambiguous territory, with no sign of him taking things further. Even the offer to buy her a bag was only because he needed to pick out a birthday gift for an elder, Lu Jia was just tagging along, and this so-called “new designer bag” was nothing more than a “travel fee.”

When he suddenly pulled her into his arms, she stiffened in surprise. The scent of alpha pheromones enveloped her, and despite herself, her heartbeat quickened. “Aren’t we just friends?” she asked.

No answer came. Following Zhang Zhuoran’s gaze, she locked eyes with a strikingly beautiful face watching them from the balcony, its expression unreadable in the sunlight.

Lu Jia’s breath hitched for a second. Zhang Zhuoran’s arm tightened around her, and she raised her voice, softening her tone in a deliberate probe, “Brother Ran, should we say hello to Sister Mingyue?”

“I’m not close with her,” Zhang Zhuoran muttered, lips curling as he looked away.

Lu Jia waved casually, letting him lead her off without another word.

By the time she returned, it was already nine at night. Still, the day’s gains left her satisfied during their earlier conversation, Zhang Zhuoran had brought up Luo Mingyue on his own.

He spoke with open disdain, calling her “that pretty-boy alpha,” then vented to Lu Jia, “Do you omegas really go for that kind of soft, unmanly face nowadays?”

Lu Jia replied, “Sister Mingyue is very kind. She’s always looked out for me since we were kids.”

Zhang Zhuoran raised an eyebrow. “You two are close?”

After a moment’s thought, she said, “Out of all the siblings in the family, I’m closest to her. Maybe it’s because we’ve both had it rough, she never had a father, so she’s always been protective of me. But sometimes.”

Zhang Zhuoran played along. “Sometimes what?”

Lu Jia frowned as if troubled. “Sometimes she oversteps. Even Grandmother has told her to keep her distance. I’ve made it clear I only see her as family like an older sister.”

Zhang Zhuoran looked genuinely surprised. “I thought she was completely devoted to Feng Baiming!”

The remark made even Lu Jia’s expression darken, but Zhang Zhuoran just sprawled across the luxury boutique’s sofa, utterly indifferent to her irritation.

The weekend saw a surge in foot traffic, with an endless stream of customers coming to buy bags. However, following Zhang Zhuoran’s lead, the staff immediately put up barriers and hung a “Closed” sign.

Many assumed the store wasn’t operating that day, but those in the know remarked, “There’s a VIP client shopping inside, so regular customers are temporarily barred from entering.”

Lu Jia, enjoying the treatment of a top-tier client, smiled and said, “Sister Ming Yue cares about me much more than she does about Miss Feng. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have led to such misunderstandings.”

Zhang Zhuoran finally took a serious look at Lu Jia. He believed her words, Lu Jia was far more capable of stirring an alpha’s protective instincts than the icy Feng Baiming.

He chuckled and said, “I thought Luo Ming Yue was a principled person, but it seems she’s not all that.”

He then asked Lu Jia many questions about Luo Ming Yue, piecing together most of her background and upbringing. In high spirits, he picked out the most expensive new bag for Lu Jia.

Lu Jia refused, saying, “We’re just ordinary friends. I can’t accept such a gift.”

Zhang Zhuoran looked at the innocent young girl before him, barely eighteen, fresh and delicate, a type he hadn’t encountered in a long time abroad.

His smile deepened. “Are we really just ordinary friends?”

Lu Jia replied softly, “I have my own boundaries. Treating me to dinner is more than enough to show your gratitude.”

He smoothly responded, “Then, would you be willing to be my girlfriend?”

Lu Jia didn’t agree immediately. If she gave in too easily, the alpha would never truly cherish her.

Naturally, she also declined Zhang Zhuoran’s invitation to stay the night. After a day of dining and entertainment, she was in high spirits. But when she returned home and saw Luo Ming Yue sitting on the sofa, working on a PowerPoint presentation, she obediently called out, “Sister Ming Yue.”

Luo Ming Yue closed her laptop, looking as though she had something to say.

Lu Jia preempted her: “Zhang Zhuoran is pursuing me, but I haven’t agreed. I don’t know what he was thinking this morning.”

“Zhang Zhuoran isn’t a bad person,” Luo Ming Yue said, pretending not to notice their flirtation. “He’s just used to being open after studying abroad.”

Lu Jia replied, “Is that so? I thought you might mind.”

Luo Ming Yue sighed. “While you’re still in Beijing, spend more time with your classmates and friends. It won’t be long before Grandmother sends you abroad.”

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