Starlet Taotie Chapter 2
Chapter 2 A Starved Predator’s Temper
The next morning, Sun Jianxian happily called Young Master Lu.
However, the call had barely connected when he was immediately cursed out.
Sun Jianxian was stunned. “Young Master Lu, what happened? Did Jiang Tao—”
Young Master Lu’s nose was swollen, and his voice came out muffled. “Don’t mention that name!!”
Sun Jianxian deftly caught the difference in his tone and quickly asked, “Young Master Lu, did perhaps you overstrain yourself?”
Young Master Lu: “I’m fine! I’m perfectly fine!!”
He got too worked up and accidentally pulled at his injury, letting out a sharp hiss of pain.
Sun Jianxian grew even more worried. From the sound of it, Young Master Lu was seriously injured.
And last night, he had been alone with Jiang Tao.
Could it be… that something had happened to that area?!
Young Master Lu only grew angrier when he thought back to last night.
What kind of woman was that?!
Not only did she eat like a monster, she also hit like one too!!
It was a good thing nothing actually happened between them. If he had really slept with her, and she got attached, wouldn’t he be facing daily domestic violence?!
Thinking of that, he felt a wave of lingering fear mixed with relief.
He immediately warned Sun Jianxian, “Don’t mention that name again. And don’t bring her anywhere near me. If she asks about me… just say I’ve gone overseas!”
Sun Jianxian: “……”
It seemed his guess was correct.
Sun Jianxian hung up the phone in a daze, his mind in complete chaos.
Originally, he had planned to use Jiang Tao to please Young Master Lu in exchange for resources. But now, after this incident, Young Master Lu might not even be fully ‘functional’ anymore.
This path was now permanently cut off.
And the root cause of all this was Jiang Tao!
…
“Ring ding dong~ answer the phone~ pick up the phone~”
The noisy ringtone jolted Jiang Tao awake from her sleep.
She mumbled in dissatisfaction, her fair, slender fingers blindly reaching around the bedside. Eventually, she found the thing disturbing her rest.
With a casual squeeze, the sound stopped instantly.
Jiang Tao smiled, satisfied.
She rolled over and went back to sleep peacefully.
Half an hour later.
A continuous knocking on the door finally forced Jiang Tao awake again.
Jiang Tao sat up groggily, unconsciously wiping the corner of her mouth.
The room before her was completely unfamiliar.
Pink wallpaper. A few of her photos hanging on the walls. Aside from that, the furnishings were extremely simple.
Only then did Jiang Tao fully register what had happened.
Ah. She had already escaped. Now she was inside a novel as a minor antagonist.
But that wasn’t important.
The memory of last night’s food still lingered in her mind, filling her with a rare sense of goodwill toward this world.
The knocking continued without pause.
Jiang Tao got up and opened the door.
Outside stood a petite girl wearing oversized glasses. It was Tong Tong, Sun Jianxian’s assistant.
Seeing Jiang Tao’s expressionless face, Tong Tong instinctively shrank back a little. “Jiang jie, sorry for disturbing you!”
(TLN: Jie (姐) - an informal way one would use to address a (usually older) female. It means elder sister, but having blood ties is not necessary.)
Jiang Tao was already used to prey being afraid of her. She yawned and walked back inside casually. “What is it?”
Tong Tong followed her in.
She had been sent by Sun Jianxian.
Sun Jianxian’s exact words had been: How dare she ignore my call?! Has Jiang Tao gotten tired of living?!
Tong Tong didn’t dare repeat that, so she could only tactfully remind her. “Jie, you still have a scheduled appearance this afternoon. Did you forget?”
Jiang Tao massaged her temples.
In the original body’s memory, Sun Jianxian had indeed promised that if she went to the drinking event, she would get a job opportunity in return.
Right now, Jiang Tao’s mind was completely filled with food. She had no interest in going to any so-called appearance.
But then she thought of something.
By now, that minor immortal would definitely have noticed her escape. He might already be searching everywhere for her.
She did not want to return to that cold, barren place of sealing.
And if she wanted to avoid being discovered, the best way was to act like the original host and hide within the world of this book.
So even though she was extremely unwilling, she still went into the room to change clothes.
Seeing this, Tong Tong let out a sigh of relief.
While Jiang jie seemed colder than usual, she was surprisingly cooperative.
So she mustered up a bit of courage and asked, “Jie, why is your phone turned off?”
“My phone?”
Jiang Tao seemed to think of something. She lowered her head and indeed saw the phone that had already been crushed into smithereens.
A trace of guilt flashed across her face. She discreetly kicked the shards under the bed.
Fortunately, Tong Tong didn’t dare ask further. After Jiang Tao finished changing, she drove her to the company.
Sun Jianxian looked like he was there to settle scores, but for some reason, the moment he met Jiang Tao’s emotionless eyes, he suddenly lost his nerve.
When a predator is hungry, its temper is usually not very good.
Jiang Tao was no exception.
But since she had decided to properly conceal her identity, she needed to restrain her appetite a little.
At the very least, she couldn’t eat her manager.
Jiang Tao patted her stomach.
Her mood only worsened.
Fortunately, Tong Tong arrived in time with coffee and a sandwich.
After eating something, Jiang Tao’s mood improved slightly. Then she suddenly thought of that foolish spendthrift from yesterday.
“Where is that Young Master Lu? Didn’t he say he would keep me? Why hasn’t he sent me breakfast yet?”
Sun Jianxian: “……?”
That sentence didn’t seem wrong on the surface, but somehow it just sounded off…
He didn’t dwell on the minor detail and instead asked through gritted teeth, “You still dare to ask!? What did you do to Young Master Lu yesterday? H–How did he end up injured in that area?”
Jiang Tao retorted matter-of-factly, “It’s not like I did it on purpose. He was just too stingy!”
Sun Jianxian was full of question marks. “Young Master Lu? Stingy? That can’t be right.”
Jiang Tao: “He wouldn’t even give me a piece of ham to eat so I just gave him a little lesson.”
“……”
Sun Jianxian felt a sudden chill run down below.
So Young Master Lu had apparently lost his manhood over a single piece of ham.
How unexpected.
From the outside, Young Master Lu looked like a decent, wealthy young master, but he was actually so stingy that he wouldn’t even give his kept woman a cured ham. If that was how he treated women, he probably treated everyone else even worse.
It seemed like that this coattail wasn’t worth clinging to after all.
Sun Jianxian felt both relieved and depressed at the same time.
Jiang Tao didn’t forget why she was here and asked, “So what gig am I being sent to?”
Only then did Sun Jianxian remember the arranged job. He replied listlessly, “A variety show.”
“Over Here!” was a live-streaming variety show on Sweet Orange Network.
Just from the name, it was obvious the production team didn’t behave like normal humans. They loved pranking guests, which made the show both loved and hated by celebrities due to its high popularity.
In the original novel, the minor antagonist also appeared on this show. However, her performance was disastrous. She was heavily criticized, trended on social media, and completely lost the last bit of goodwill from her fans.
Sun Jianxian had already decided Jiang Tao was beyond saving, so he couldn’t be bothered to accompany her himself. He only sent Tong Tong along.
On the way, Tong Tong dutifully explained the variety show’s format and how to interact with the staff.
After finishing, she hesitated for a moment before adding, “Jie, there’s one more thing. Ann Lisa is also participating in this variety show.”
Ann Lisa, a rising starlet who debuted around the same time as Jiang Tao, had a similar career path. Because their companies were rivals, the two had been at odds from the very beginning.
However, Jiang Tao had once been more successful. She went viral right after her debut with a single commercial, leaving Ann Lisa feeling utterly humiliated in comparison.
No one would have expected that within a year, their positions would completely reverse.
Ann Lisa gained some popularity through a supporting role in a web drama, while Jiang Tao became a scandal-ridden, bottom-tier celebrity.
Unable to accept such a fall from grace, the original host had once been provoked by Ann Lisa at an event. She lost her temper on the spot, shouting and cussing at her. A paparazzi stationed nearby caught it all on camera, providing yet another piece of vicious evidence against her.
Tong Tong rambled on for a long while, essentially telling Jiang Tao to stay calm and not get provoked.
Only then did she realize Jiang Tao had zoned out. Helpless, Tong Tong asked, “Jie, did you hear what I just said?”
Jiang Tao shook her head, her expression solemn. “I was thinking about something more important.”
Tong Tong immediately grew serious as well. “What is it?”
Jiang Tao: “When’s lunch?”
Tong Tong: “……”
…
When they arrived at the recording location, the assistant director led Jiang Tao to the dressing room.
Tong Tong was still uneasy and emphasized again, “Jie, please don’t get into any conflict with Ann Lisa later. Your reputation really can’t take another hit!”
Jiang Tao absentmindedly replied, “Yeah, mhm, got it.”
She clearly wasn’t paying attention.
They pushed open the door and walked into the dressing room, only to find someone already inside.
It was Ann Lisa.
Tong Tong nearly fainted on the spot. Of course it had to be her. Of all people.
Ann Lisa had been riding a wave of popularity lately and her status had risen accordingly. Her entourage alone was quite impressive.
A brand-new Vuitton coat was draped over the chair. Her personal stylist, wardrobe assistant, makeup artist, and two helpers were all busy around her.
Even her manager was not idle, calling her “darling” in a flattering tone while ordering around the program’s interns like they were servants.
Meanwhile, on Jiang Tao’s side, there were only two people.
Her and Tong Tong.
Thoroughly shabby and threadbare.
However, Jiang Tao could care less. Her only concern was finishing her makeup quickly so she could go eat.
Since she hadn’t brought her own makeup artist, the show’s staff makeup artist was doing her makeup.
Ann Lisa turned around with a smile. “Jiang Tao, this is the latest foundation from Peripera. Do you want to try it? I recently became their spokesperson, and they sent me a lot.”
Tong Tong immediately broke into a cold sweat.
Jiang Tao used to be Peripera’s spokesperson too, but after the incident involving Su Yingxue, the contract was terminated.
Ann Lisa was clearly trying to stab right at Jiang Tao’s sore spot.
But Jiang Tao only glanced at it casually. “No need. Too troublesome.”
Ann Lisa’s smile froze on her face.
Something’s not right.
Why was Jiang Tao so calm?! Shouldn’t she have exploded on the spot like before, just from a single provocation?
Unwilling to give up, Ann Lisa added, “I was just being kind. I heard you haven’t been doing well lately, you look pretty haggard…”
At that moment, the makeup artist just so happened to lift Jiang Tao’s chin.
Under the light, her white, supple skin and impeccable facial features were fully exposed. Not a pore in sight, it was so delicate it seemed it might bead with water at a touch.
Compared to Ann Lisa’s dark eye circles and acne marks around her lips, it was obvious at a glance who actually looked haggard.
Ann Lisa’s face turned bright red. She finally shut her mouth.
Tong Tong finally relaxed and whispered in admiration, “Jie, that was amazing!”
Jiang Tao: “?”
The makeup artist, while continuing her work, couldn’t help but marvel. “Girl, your skin is amazing! How do you take care of it?”
Although Ann Lisa had turned her head away, she still sneaked glances at Jiang Tao from the corner of her eye when she heard the question.
Jiang Tao, however, looked confused. “I don’t take care of it.”
Ann Lisa let out a cold laugh.
Typical lie. That kind of answer only fooled outsiders.
What a shame, she would have loved to know which clinic Jiang Tao regulars.
When the makeup artist finally finished, Jiang Tao, already starving, immediately dragged Tong Tong out.
Ann Lisa, noticing her hurried behavior, followed with her manager.
But none of them expected Jiang Tao’s destination to be the—cafeteria.
Not only that, Jiang Tao even ordered eight boxed meals at once.
“???”
Ann Lisa’s manager pondered for a moment. “When I went to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor before, he said that if you don’t eat properly, you can easily develop spleen deficiency and liver heat. It can make your skin yellow, rough, and prone to acne. Could it be that Jiang Tao’s skin is actually so good because she eats well and eats enough?”
Ann Lisa’s expression immediately darkened. “So now you want me to eat boxed meals too?”
She was naturally prone to weight gain, with a large bone structure. To look good on camera, she counted every grain of rice she ate.
Let alone eating something like boxed meals, which were heavy in oil and salt.
But watching Jiang Tao eat so happily, she couldn’t help swallowing.
After a moment of hesitation, Ann Lisa hesitantly asked, “Then… why don’t you order me a boxed meal too?”
TL Note: I’m currently looking for a proofreader for this novel, please reach out if you have several month’s worth of time to help me with this novel. You will be able to read ahead of everyone else. Thank you 🙏
