Forced to Romance the Omega Psychiatrist - Chapter 17

“The rehearsal is about to start, all units please get into position immediately. Lights! Where are the lights? Remember to pay attention to this cue later!” The assistant director’s voice rang out nearby as the entire set descended into chaos.

Xia You blended in with the crew, coordinating the incoming staff and various artists’ assistants. While the workflow remained smooth, her spirits were visibly low, her demeanor somewhat absent-minded.

Amidst this hectic environment, some artists proved particularly troublesome.

Despite the show’s team assignments and seating arrangements being finalized long ago, certain performers still couldn’t resist making last-minute attempts during rehearsals to subtly jockey for better positions.

Though mentally exhausted, Xia You patiently explained the arrangements to each artist’s team again and again.

In the midst of this confusion, someone suddenly exclaimed, “Look! It’s Zhou Wanwan!”

A wave of gasps and excited murmurs followed, and Xia You couldn’t help but turn to look.

At the artist entrance, the glamorous Zhou Wanwan made her appearance at the end of the corridor.

Perhaps to match the esports theme of this variety show, Zhou Wanwan had abandoned her usual pure or glamorous styles. Her beautiful face now sported bold, vibrant makeup.

Surprisingly, this dramatic new look suited her perfectly her enchanting eyes sparkled brilliantly, as if filled with starlight.

Her pink-streaked hair was tied in a ponytail, paired with a brightly colored oversized biker jacket and black leather skirt, creating a sweet yet edgy, energetic appearance.

Amid the chorus of admiration, the minor artist who had been arguing with Xia You earlier scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes and muttering, “What’s so special? She looks the same as always.”

“…” Xia You paused, then chuckled to herself as she turned back to reason with the young idol.

For a fleeting moment, she’d actually found herself considering Zhou Wanwan’s earlier question, who was more beautiful between them.

But what was the point of such comparisons?

What she wanted was Li Wei’s affection. Even if it had been superficial attraction at first, did that make the fault hers for being “not beautiful enough”?

The mistake always lay with the wrongdoer. There was no need to torment herself.

“Wanwan! Wanwan, look over here! You’re stunning today!!” Just as Xia You was about to speak, an enthusiastic voice rang out, one that sounded oddly familiar.

Xia You froze, instinctively turning toward the source.

Having fans present during rehearsals wasn’t unusual. Major variety shows often allowed audience members to participate in dress rehearsals to gauge reactions, generate promotional content, and build hype.

But when Xia You recognized the speaker, she was stunned.

Wasn’t that the blond-haired man who had visited her counseling office before her accidental encounter with Bai Shuixi, then deliberately harassed her at the mall before being dealt with by Bai Shuixi?

He was Zhou Wanwan’s fan?

Xia You watched as the blond-haired man effortlessly set down his light board and picked up his camera, swiftly securing the best angle to snap photos of Zhou Wanwan. Suddenly, several details she had previously overlooked began to connect in her mind.

She had always been meticulous in that regard, and there were always spare Omega suppressants in her office. So why had she suddenly gone into heat that day so rapidly that she couldn’t even use the suppressants in time?

The only anomaly she could recall was that very morning, when this same man had gifted her a large bouquet of flowers! Thinking back, she had felt unsettled the entire day, only feeling slightly better after the last visitor, who had taken a liking to the bouquet left with it.

Wait a minute. If the bouquet was the problem, why wasn’t it the beta client who had taken it who came to hold her accountable, but this alpha instead?

That was far too strange.

Xia You’s thoughts drifted, and she remembered that both this blond-haired man and the last visitor that day had been first-time appointments with her.

One had given her flowers upon their first meeting, while the other had shown unusual interest in the bouquet in her office during their first visit. Neither scenario seemed normal upon closer reflection.

Could it be?

Xia You turned and grabbed a passing staff member, urgently instructing, “I need to step away for a moment. Please handle things here, Miss Lin has some questions about her seating.”

Lin Yingshui, who had been busy criticizing Zhou Wanwan: “Huh?”

The passing staff member: “Huh?”

Xia You didn’t have time to explain further. All she wanted now was to find that blond-haired man as quickly as possible and demand answers, who was he, and why had he booked her consultation room?

But the rehearsal site was chaotic. In her haste, Xia You nearly collided with a crew moving equipment. After apologizing and stepping aside to let them pass, she looked around again, only to find the blond-haired man had vanished.

She checked all the prime spots for photographing Zhou Wanwan, but the man was nowhere to be seen. Xia You finally realized he might have noticed her presence and was deliberately avoiding her.

But if there was truly nothing to hide, why would he run?

Slowly, Xia You turned her head and locked eyes with Zhou Wanwan, who stood far away at the center of the stage.

Was it really you?

“Hah, so it was Zhou Wanwan’s doing. No one else.”

In the VIP lounge just a wall away, Bai Shuixi’s cold, mocking voice cut through the silence.

Her laptop, resting on her knees, played surveillance footage, the very file He Jiu had insisted was crucial to retrieve now plugged into the device. It was the material the Bai Group had obtained just that morning, the ‘document’ Bai Shuixi had specifically demanded to see.

The VIP lounge was otherwise empty, save for He Jiu standing quietly behind Bai Shuixi.

The chaotic scenes from the rehearsal played out in full view through the one-way glass. The on-site director, overwhelmed, struggled to maintain control yet Bai Shuixi could observe every movement effortlessly from behind the window.

But Bai Shuixi wasn’t even looking.

Bai Shuixi’s attention was entirely focused on the notebook resting on her lap. The computer screen displayed two surveillance videos playing side by side one showing the entrance to Xia You’s consultation room, the other the underground parking garage of the commercial building.

The yellow-haired man who had just slipped away from under Xia You’s nose appeared in the footage, dressed impeccably. Before entering Xia You’s consultation room, he deliberately adjusted the bouquet of flowers in his arms, flashing a malicious smile.

Bai Shuixi watched with cold disdain as the yellow-haired man disappeared behind the consultation room door, then shifted her gaze to the other video.

The second surveillance feed showed the same man after leaving the consultation room. The moment he stepped outside, his expression changed completely the feigned look of disappointment evaporated instantly. He glanced back at Xia You’s direction with ill intent, smirked lewdly, then swaggered off to the underground garage, where he boarded a black BMW van.

After the footage of the yellow-haired man concluded, both videos jumped ahead roughly six hours. The mall was noticeably less crowded by then, and an unremarkable female beta entered Xia You’s consultation room.

Whatever conversation took place between this beta and Xia You, it lasted less than forty minutes before the woman left, still holding the same bouquet the yellow-haired man had brought in earlier.

The critical moment came next the female beta headed straight for the underground garage, wandered around for a bit, then climbed into the same black van the yellow-haired man had used that morning.

Bai Shuixi paused the video.

Staring at the frozen image of the van, she asked coolly, “Can we track this vehicle and these two individuals?”

He Jiu, standing nearby, immediately bowed slightly. “The license plate has already been identified, it’s a company vehicle registered under Rixin Entertainment. We can also obtain the access records from that day. As for those two people, we’ve only confirmed they aren’t Rixin employees.”

Bai Shuixi lowered her eyes in thought for a moment. “Investigate Zhou Wanwan’s connections. She’s been acting for years, even if she wanted to find someone reliable to set someone else up, her options would be limited. And that driver isn’t he a Rixin employee? Find him. Make sure he talks.” She smirked coldly. “Daring to scheme against me.”

“Yes,” He Jiu responded obediently, though after a brief hesitation, she couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, didn’t you rush over because you heard someone might be targeting Miss Xia? That shouldn’t really count as scheming against you,  right?”

Under Bai Shuixi’s icy, deathly stare, He Jiu barely managed to finish her sentence before lowering her head, not daring to make another sound.

Bai Shuixi regarded her with indifference, an inexplicable irritation surfacing as she recalled that strange mark from deep in her memories. Her brows furrowed. “If I say it counts, then it counts.”

He Jiu: “Understood.”

Still, He Jiu’s comment gave Bai Shuixi an idea. If someone had tipped off the original owner of this body, then the circle of people in the know couldn’t be limited to just Zhou Wanwan’s associates. The informant might even be the one aiding Zhou Wanwan.

But who was this informant?

She’d have to ask the system later.

The original work didn’t provide much detail about Zhou Wanwan’s involvement in Xia You being bullied by ‘Bai Shui Xi’, so Bai Shui Xi wasn’t clear about who Zhou Wanwan had collaborated with.

Speaking of the reasons behind the lack of description, it was probably because Zhou Wanwan had done far worse things to Xia You than just this one incident.

If ‘Bai Shui Xi’ was the biggest obstacle between the two female leads in the original story, then Zhou Wanwan was the perfect finisher.

She always managed to push Xia You into more difficult situations from unexpected angles, and her actions were largely responsible for stretching the original story’s length to over a million words.

However, in the original work, it wasn’t Bai Shui Xi who exposed Zhou Wanwan’s schemes against Xia You, so she could have easily ignored this matter.

But Bai Shui Xi had a strong intuition that the current plot had subtly exceeded her predictions, and it would be better for her to secure more advantages in her hands.

Besides…

Bai Shui Xi’s thoughts wandered, and Xia You’s gentle, beautiful face appeared in her mind again.

That expression of being extremely angry yet not knowing how to vent it was incredibly vivid—so vivid it was almost cute.

After a moment of silence, Bai Shui Xi lowered her eyelashes and suppressed unnecessary emotions.

She seemed to have been getting overly soft-hearted lately. Perhaps it was because she could now feel emotions, but whenever she faced Xia You, she always wanted to leave her some room, reluctant to push things to the extreme.

Never mind. She was just a villain. It was better to keep this as a backup plan for herself.

Bai Shui Xi raised her hand, signaling He Jiu to hurry up and handle the matter instead of standing there arguing. She had her own business to attend to as well.

He Jiu took the hint and immediately slipped away. With no one else left in the lounge, Bai Shui Xi was just thinking about how to summon the system when its manic voice rang out again, screaming uncontrollably in her head:

[Bad news, Host! Stop watching those clips right now! My readings show the plot has deviated! Something unexpected must have happened to the female lead. If you keep this up, you’re going to get hit with the shared-sensation punishment!!]

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