Forced to Romance the Omega Psychiatrist - Chapter 40.1

“Surprised, darling?” The stunningly elegant woman standing by the car removed her sunglasses, her gaze sharp as a blade, her expression hovering between amusement and something more pointed.

“Mom wanted to tell you, but who was it that hung up first? Ah, you’re really not being obedient at all, sweetheart. Mom’s getting a bit of a headache now.”

“…” Bai Shuixi frowned slightly, feeling the pressure from her biological mother.

She had no idea who the original owner of this body took after in the original plot, the character often seemed outright unhinged, with no hint that her mother would be this difficult to handle.

Bai Shuixi glanced at Xia You, only to find Xia You looking back at her with a complicated, almost wounded expression, as if she’d been wronged. The glance was fleeting, and Xia You quickly averted her eyes.

Bai Shuixi paused, her fingers twitching slightly. She nearly spoke up, but then she remembered Xin Wensheng her mother, whose contact name had been reduced to just “Chairman Xin” was still standing right there. Swallowing her words, she turned to Xin Wensheng instead. “If you were coming, you could have just told me directly. There was no need to dance around it on the phone.”

All those questions about her life and work as if she didn’t already know everything.

“Is it so wrong for a mother to ask how her child is doing?” Xin Wensheng shrugged, her tone dripping with exaggerated innocence. There was none of the iron-fisted authority one might expect from a corporate chairwoman just a breezy, almost playful charm. “Darling, Mom’s heart is breaking. You won’t even share your work updates with me anymore?”

“…”

Bai Shuixi nearly shuddered at the saccharine tone, her patience wearing thin. She stepped forward, taking Xia You’s hand and pulling her behind her. “Let’s talk upstairs. You… go home first.”

The last part was directed at Xia You.

Bai Shuixi wasn’t sure what her suddenly appearing mother was up to, and she didn’t want Xia You anywhere near Xin Wensheng.

Before Xia You could respond, Xin Wensheng spoke up, her smile sweet but her eyes sharp as she studied Xia You. “Miss, what exactly is your relationship with my daughter? Why are you two so… familiar?”

Xia You froze, looking up at Xin Wensheng before quickly glancing away, her face flushing with humiliation.

She had no idea how to answer that.

Even before this, she hadn’t been sure where she stood with Bai Shuixi now, she was even less certain.

Bai Shuixi caught every flicker of emotion on Xia You’s face, her grip tightening unconsciously around Xia You’s hand.

…Now she understood why Xia You had run off before.

She didn’t want to put Xia You in this position. Instinct urged her to say something, to intervene but wasn’t she supposed to be the villain here? Shouldn’t she be taking this opportunity to humiliate the heroine instead?

“We…” Bai Shuixi hesitated, watching Xia You’s expression, the words sticking in her throat. “We…”

Xia You heard the hesitation and felt something inside her go cold. She could guess what was coming. Lowering her eyes, she gently pulled her wrist free and said softly, “It’s fine. There’s nothing special between us anyway.”

The answer should have been exactly what Bai Shuixi wanted, what she’d planned for. But instead, Bai Shuixi suddenly remembered what Xia You had said to her back in her office, and her chest tightened. Her frown deepened before she could stop it.

But before she could speak up to correct the misunderstanding, Xin Wensheng beside her, as if having heard nothing, cheerfully chimed in: “The driver mentioned the two of you live together.”

Xia You was startled, abruptly lifting her gaze to Xin Wensheng. “I… no, we’re not—”

Xin Wensheng tilted her head slightly, smiling at Xia You with apparent good humor. “Hmm? What is it?”

“…” Bo Shuixi couldn’t stand it any longer, her brows knitting together. In a moment of impulsiveness, the scales in her heart tipped toward an option she hadn’t initially considered.

“You’ve known all along, haven’t you?” Bo Shuixi’s voice was cool and detached. “Why bother asking? She is my girlfriend.”

Xia You froze, not quite processing the words, staring blankly at Bo Shuixi.

Xin Wensheng, however, didn’t seem surprised. Adjusting her shawl with a smile, her sharp, bright eyes twinkling with amusement, she raised an eyebrow meaningfully. “But there’s a world of difference between knowing and admitting, isn’t there?”

Bo Shuixi: “…”

Had Xin Wensheng not been pressing her step by step with her words, she truly wouldn’t have admitted it… Now, she felt it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision to help Xia You out of an awkward situation. Reminded by Xin Wensheng’s remark, Bo Shuixi immediately began to dread how she would face Xia You afterward.

Yet Xia You’s reaction… seemed a bit off too.

Recalling Xia You’s expression just now, it didn’t seem like she was eager to distance herself from their relationship.

Could it be… that Xia You actually felt something different for her?

Xin Wensheng, likely well aware of Bo Shuixi’s temperament, didn’t wait for her to stew over it. After saying her piece, she turned to Xia You with a smile, pulling her closer and speaking in an affectionate tone: “Xia, right? Come closer, let’s have a chat, dear.”

Bo Shuixi snapped out of her thoughts, momentarily speechless: “…”

This Chairwoman Xin had clearly investigated everything about her and Xia You, yet she was still putting on an act!

Still smiling, Xin Wensheng held Xia You’s hand as they walked into the residential building with Bo Shuixi and took the elevator. She moved with such familiarity that she didn’t need any guidance, appearing even more at home than Bo Shuixi.

Xia You watched as Bo Shuixi calmly pressed the elevator button, finally realizing something was amiss. She glanced at Bo Shuixi.

Bo Shuixi, who had been lagging behind the whole way, had already calmed down. Meeting Xia You’s gaze, she gave a slight, indifferent nod.

…At least this suddenly appearing mother hadn’t shown any hostility or controlling tendencies yet… A brief chat wouldn’t hurt.

The elevator dinged as it reached their floor. Bo Shuixi, who usually waited for others to open doors for her, found herself stepping forward this time to play the role of the door-opener. She sighed inwardly in resignation.

Well, what could she do? This was her mother, after all.

As they entered the foyer, the faint scent of incense enveloped both host and guests.

Xin Wensheng walked into the living room with curiosity, looking around before asking cheerfully, “So this is where you two live now? How are things here? Is everything to your liking? Do you need anything? Should Mom get you a car?”

Xia You was taken aback. “…Huh? What?”

Bo Shuixi: “…”

This mother of hers really didn’t seem like she was here to pick a fight.

What on earth was going on with this plot? The original body’s mother actually showed up at this moment, and she even seemed quite supportive of her relationship with Xia You…

According to the normal storyline, shouldn’t every character appearing around her be there to torment Xia You? Even though she’d just acknowledged Xia You as her girlfriend, could that really make Xin Wensheng change her stance so abruptly?

Where exactly had things gone wrong?

Bai Shuixi lowered her gaze slightly, pondering the logic of the plot, momentarily oblivious to the reactions of those around her.

In the brief moment Bai Shuixi was lost in thought, Xin Wensheng walked straight up to Xia You, smiling as she took Xia You’s hand: “Xiao Xia, you don’t have a car yet, do you? How about Auntie gifts you one? What would you like a Bentley or a Lamborghini? Xiao Xi here has always preferred sports cars so reckless. What about you?”

Bai Shuixi: “…”

Xia You glanced at Bai Shuixi in a fluster: “Uh, th-thank you, Auntie, but I actually do have a car. I just don’t drive it often.”

“Yours is yours, but Auntie wants to give you another one.” Xin Wensheng’s smile hadn’t wavered since she entered, her eyes curved as she looked at Xia You, her usually striking and domineering features softening considerably.

Bai Shuixi, snapping out of her thoughts: “…”

Maybe it was just her imagination, but Xin Wensheng seemed to genuinely like Xia You.

Xia You, however, probably hadn’t noticed. Overwhelmed by Xin Wensheng’s enthusiasm, she could only shoot Bai Shuixi a pleading look.

“…” Sensing Xia You’s gaze, Bai Shuixi turned to Xin Wensheng. “Mom, why are you back so suddenly? You didn’t even give me a heads-up. Weren’t you handling collaborations abroad before?”

Xin Wensheng maintained her smile toward Xia You but let out a light hum at Bai Shuixi’s words, her expression cooling slightly. The stunning woman lifted a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, giving Bai Shuixi a mildly disapproving look:

“It’s all because of you, you troublesome child. What happened this time? How did you end up in the hospital again? What mischief did you get into to ruin your health like this?”

Bai Shuixi froze for a second, instinctively replying, “I didn’t—”

Mid-sentence, she suddenly remembered her hospitalization due to the empathy punishment. Back then, He Jiu had mentioned Xin Wensheng calling to check in. Bai Shuixi had only worried briefly before brushing it aside to focus on advancing the plot. She never expected things to come to this…

After a pause, Bai Shuixi said quietly, “I remember He Jiu already sent my medical report to your secretary.”

“Mhm, I saw it,” Xin Wensheng nodded lightly, gracefully turning to settle onto the living room sofa before continuing leisurely, “But I still thought it’d be better to come back and see for myself.”

Bai Shuixi: “…Was that really necessary?”

Support Forced to Romance the Omega Psychiatrist