Forced to Romance the Omega Psychiatrist - Chapter 46

The office door clicked softly as Zhou Wanwan gracefully stepped into Bai Shuixi’s office.

Bai Shuixi happened to look up and caught sight of the slender figure of Zhou Wanwan.

This Omega was undeniably beautiful, and after some deliberate styling, she even carried a clean, refreshing aura. Bai Shuixi’s gaze drifted over her indifferently, thinking to herself:

Zhou Wanwan was practically worlds apart from the type she usually liked. Zhou Wanwan probably knew this too, she didn’t force herself into that mold but instead styled herself to be simple and pretty, which actually made her stand out in a refreshing way.

Seems like years of acting had honed her aesthetic sense.

Still, Bai Shuixi remained uninterested. The only reason she had gone through all this trouble to lure Zhou Wanwan here was to provoke the increasingly ‘unambitious’ female lead sitting just beyond the door in the secretary’s office.

Xia You couldn’t even give a proper reason for staying by her side, yet she still hadn’t left.

Before, she could’ve argued it was for information about Li Wei, but now, Xia You didn’t even mention Li Wei anymore.

Bai Shuixi vaguely sensed something off about this situation but had no choice but to use Zhou Wanwan to break the stalemate.

“President Bai, it’s been a while,” Zhou Wanwan said sweetly, her naturally alluring eyes curving into a charming arc. Her expression was affectionate, though she didn’t recklessly move closer.

Bai Shuixi lowered her gaze, not looking at her, her tone indifferent as she deliberately avoided mentioning Zhou Wanwan’s replacement of Rixin’s vice president: “Hmm, it has been a while. So, Miss Zhou, what brings you here today?”

Zhou Wanwan smiled as if she hadn’t noticed the underlying distance in Bai Shuixi’s words. She lifted a hand to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, revealing the striking beauty of her profile. Her long, thick lashes fluttered slightly, making her appear delicate and enchanting, every movement exuded allure.

When she spoke, her voice was soft and fragile, almost disarming: “I just wanted to ask, President Bai, what exactly did I do wrong to make you replace me with another actress?”

Bai Shuixi looked up at her, considering for a moment before saying, “That’s not so easy to explain.”

“Whatever the reason, I can change,” Zhou Wanwan met Bai Shuixi’s gaze, her confidence seemingly growing as she took a few steps closer. She leaned against the edge of Bai Shuixi’s desk, bending slightly to hold her eyes.

A faint, flirtatious perfume wafted toward Bai Shuixi with her movement seductive, though not as suggestive as Zhou Wanwan’s expression:

“Whatever President Bai wants, I can always try my best, can’t I?”

Bai Shuixi looked up at her and suddenly smiled. “Anything?”

Zhou Wanwan paused briefly before flashing a dazzling smile, her voice soft as she replied, “Of course!”

“Oh, good. Call Assistant Xia in.”

Bai Shuixi didn’t even wait for her to finish. She picked up the intercom without hesitation and spoke directly to the secretary on the other end.

The moment those words left her mouth, not only did Zhou Wanwan freeze, but even the secretary on the line was stunned.

Wait, why call Xia You in at a time like this?

Was this some kind of man-made battlefield?

Ignoring the stunned expressions of the two, Bai Shuixi hung up the phone and finally looked up at Zhou Wanwan again, a faint, indifferent smile still playing on her lips:

“If Miss Zhou wants to talk, why not bring my assistant along? After all, it seems there’s some history between her and you.”

Zhou Wanwan didn’t respond immediately. Clenching her teeth as she studied Bai Shuixi’s expression, she struggled to maintain the delicate, alluring demeanor she had carefully crafted.

She knew exactly why she was here today and Bai Shuixi undoubtedly did too.

Bringing someone else in at this moment was nothing short of humiliation.

“Does President Bai really despise me so much?” Zhou Wanwan loosened her clenched jaw, forcing a fragile expression onto her face for Bai Shuixi to see.

“Well, that’s—” Bai Shuixi’s words were abruptly cut off as Xia You unexpectedly pushed open the office door and walked in.

Startled by the sudden remark, Xia You froze in place, instantly recalling the conversation she had overheard between Li Wei and Zhou Wanwan in the corner of the Manti Hotel. Her gaze turned wary and guarded as it settled on Zhou Wanwan. “What did you just say?” she asked cautiously.

The secretary’s office was just a wall away from Bai Shuixi’s, and it took less than half a minute to walk over. Xia You promptly closed the door behind her to prevent their voices from carrying outside.

“Miss Zhou, weren’t you here to discuss a collaboration?” Xia You’s initial surprise quickly gave way to composure, her expression cooling as hostility became evident. “Why are you standing so close to our company’s CEO?”

With the actual romantic interest now present, Zhou Wanwan found it harder to maintain her act. She shrugged and straightened up, shedding her helpless, coquettish demeanor in an instant as she swept a stray lock of hair behind her shoulder.

No longer restraining herself, an air of cunning arrogance and seduction radiated from her every movement. Her gaze, lazy yet malicious, swept over Xia You before she finally spoke.

She still hadn’t figured out Bai Shuixi’

“How could there be nothing worth seeing? Just now when I came to ask President Bai about the role, she specifically told me to discuss it with you.”

Xia You was taken aback, not immediately grasping Zhou Wanwan’s implication, and froze momentarily.

Zhou Wanwan twirled a strand of Xia You’s hair between her fingers, her eyes curving into a smile as she cooed in an extremely soft, pleading tone: “You wouldn’t make things difficult for me, would you? Please, Miss Xia, put in a good word for me.”

Behind the desk, Bai Shuixi: “…”

She nearly stood up right then to separate the two.

What the hell was wrong with Zhou Wanwan? Did she think Bai Shuixi was dead?

She’d brought Zhou Wanwan here to provoke Xia You and remind her of past events, not to watch her flirt with Xia You right in front of her!

Bai Shuixi pushed her chair back. Just as she was about to angrily stand and intervene, Zhou Wanwan casually leaned closer to Xia You’s ear and whispered sweetly:

“If it really comes to it, the three of us could be together. I wouldn’t steal your lover, Miss Xia, I just want the role. Ow!”

“What did you just say?” Xia You abruptly pushed Zhou Wanwan’s hand away, staring at her in shock and anger. The fury seemed to suddenly unlock her arguing skills. “Have you lost your mind?”

Zhou Wanwan looked at her innocently.

Meeting that gaze, Xia You recalled the things Zhou Wanwan and Li Wei had said at the Manti Hotel, realizing this was deliberate provocation. She clenched her fists at her sides:

“Didn’t you just say Bai Shuixi told you to consult me about whether you could get that role? Well, my answer is no! As long as this decision requires my input, I’ll never agree! Keep dreaming!”

Xia You had never been one for arguments, she always conducted herself with dignity. Having said her piece, she had no intention of engaging further. Pressing her lips together and shooting Bai Shuixi a glare, she turned and ran out of the office.

Just beyond the wall was the secretary’s office, filled with colleagues she saw every day. Not wanting them to witness her reaction, Xia You headed straight for the break room after leaving Bai Shuixi’s office, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.

Only after reaching the break room did Xia You begin to regain her composure. Leaning against the wall, she took a deep breath.

This Zhou Wanwan. Had they been enemies in a past life?

Back when she’d been blindly infatuated with Li Wei and hadn’t seen her true nature, Zhou Wanwan had flirted with Li Wei, shown hostility at their first meeting, and might even have been the one who caused her pheromones to spiral out of control.

Now that she loved Bai Shuixi and wanted nothing more than to be with her, free from all those messy people, Zhou Wanwan had shown up again, pestering Bai Shuixi for a role.

As if they were truly fated to clash.

Before Xia You could calm down and shake off these chaotic thoughts, a crisp set of footsteps approached at a leisurely pace.

Xia You blinked in surprise, turning to see Zhou Wanwan, who should have been left behind in Bai Shuixi’s office standing there.

“You…” Xia You straightened up, startled by Zhou Wanwan’s sudden appearance, then coldly averted her gaze. “Why did you follow me?”

Her expression was grim, but Zhou Wanwan surprisingly ignored her cold demeanor. With a lazy, almost absent-minded smile, she grabbed Xia You’s arm, refusing to let her leave. “You just said you absolutely wouldn’t agree to me taking that role were you serious?”

“Of course I was serious. Did you think I was joking?” Xia You lowered her eyes and tried to pull her hand away, clearly unwilling to engage with Zhou Wanwan.

Earlier, when facing Bai Shuixi, Xia You could still argue that she had no reason to deliberately hinder Zhou Wanwan’s career. But now, Zhou Wanwan had the audacity to imply she wanted something with Bai Shuixi right in front of her, Xia You couldn’t tolerate it at all.

Zhou Wanwan ignored her resistance, tightening her grip instead. With a slight tug, she pulled Xia You back and stared into her eyes. “Are you sure?”

Xia You frowned and met her gaze, only to find Zhou Wanwan’s eyes simmering with suppressed anger. Stunned for a moment, she snapped back to reality, her own anger flaring. “Why wouldn’t I be sure?”

She wasn’t even the one who should be angry here, what right did Zhou Wanwan have to be upset?

The last trace of forced smile faded from Zhou Wanwan’s face, her expression darkening completely. As if oblivious to the tension, she pressed on relentlessly:

“Why? Is it because I gave you a hard time when we first met? Or because of my relationship with Li Wei? Or is it because I mentioned Bai Shuixi just now?”

Xia You remained indifferent until Bai Shuixi’s name was brought up. At that, she twisted her wrist sharply, yanking her hand free from Zhou Wanwan’s grasp. “Enough! What if it’s all of those things combined?”

After a pause, Xia You spoke again, her voice quieter but still laced with anger:

“…Li Wei grew up with me, but in reality, she has nothing to do with me. If you want to be with her, I won’t interfere. But you, you didn’t even break up with her before getting together with Mr. Song, and then you went behind his back to be with Li Wei again. Do you really think that’s something to be proud of?

And now you want to drag Bai Shuixi into this Miss Zhou, I don’t want to say anything too harsh, but what exactly do you expect me to think of you after all this?”

Zhou Wanwan seemed momentarily stunned, staring blankly at her fingertips before letting out a mocking laugh. “So you’re saying you look down on me as a person?”

Suddenly, she no longer seemed to care about the role. A sly smile curled at her lips as she straightened her posture, as if her weak spot had been exposed. Her beautiful eyes regained their haughty glint as she studied Xia You with an amused expression.

“You can get angry, can’t you? So you do have a temper. I thought you’d stay calm no matter what always that gentle, quiet facade, acting like you’re some kind of saint.”

Xia You blinked, furrowing her brows in confusion. “What?”

“You really don’t know?” Zhou Wanwan abruptly closed the distance between them, her stunning face now so close that Xia You could see her own reflection in Zhou Wanwan’s pupils. “This is exactly how Li Wei described you so perfect, so hard to let go of.”

Her expression bordered on madness, her words disjointed, but Xia You still grasped the underlying meaning.

Zhou Wanwan seemed to harbor a deep resentment toward her.

But why?

Was it because she thought she was putting on an act?

Zhou Wanwan scrutinized Xia You’s expression, taking in the genuine, soft innocence and surprise on her face, and couldn’t help but sneer before reaching out to pinch Xia You’s cheek.

Xia You: “…”

Xia You’s eyes widened, and she instinctively grabbed Zhou Wanwan’s wrist, trying to pull her away. “What are you doing?!”

“Sometimes, I really want to see what you’d look like when someone toys with you pinned down by an alpha, controlled by pheromones, unable to escape, forced to submit over and over, with all your weaknesses in their grasp.”

Zhou Wanwan didn’t let go. Her meticulously manicured nails dug slightly into Xia You’s cheek, her dark malice lurking beneath the surface, making her expression eerily calm as she whispered, “Let’s see if you can still act so gentle and composed then.”

Her words were far from kind. Xia You’s thoughts raced ahead of her reason, involuntarily picturing the scenario Zhou Wanwan described.

The details were hazy, but her mind instinctively replaced the imagined figure with Bai Shuixi’s face. The image was embarrassingly vivid, stirring a flush of heat, yet it was also deeply humiliating. Besides, she never wanted things with Bai Shuixi to reach that point!

Even if… even if Bai Shuixi did that to her, she’d still be heartbroken.

Xia You’s brows furrowed, and she leaned back, trying to break free from Zhou Wanwan’s grip. When that didn’t work, she raised her hand to swat Zhou Wanwan’s arm away.

Surprisingly, Zhou Wanwan dodged, leaving Xia You’s hand grasping at air.

Filming action scenes had clearly honed Zhou Wanwan’s reflexes and strength, she wasn’t as fragile as she appeared.

Zhou Wanwan seemed utterly indifferent to Xia You’s resistance, maintaining her uncomfortably close proximity, her brows drawn low, her slightly upturned eyes icy.

With her innocent face and fox-like, alluring eyes, Zhou Wanwan usually carried an air of lazy, understated charm. But now, her anger made her gaze far weightier than usual.

She clearly no longer cared about roles or appearances, gripping Xia You’s cheek as she mocked, “Can’t handle it? Should I tell you something even juicier?”

Xia You froze, staring at her in confusion.

Zhou Wanwan let out a cold laugh. “You think Li Wei doesn’t know about me and Song Zhe? And it’s not just him there were others before. You must’ve heard about my scandal back then, right?

If not, I’ll tell you now. Li Wei and I were tied together at the time. If I didn’t make a comeback, she’d suffer too. To claw my way back up, do you know what I had to do? Li Wei knew everything some of those people were even introduced by her. Did she refuse to sleep with me back then? No, she stayed right by my side.”

“…” Xia You was stunned, gaping at Zhou Wanwan, speechless.

She never expected her casual refusal to dredge up such a sordid past. The filth laid bare in just a few words nearly overwhelmed her.

Was Li Wei using Zhou Wanwan as a stepping stone to climb the social ladder? And to make matters worse, she was taking advantage of Zhou Wanwan’s messy relationships to insert herself into the chaos.

Xia You couldn’t help but feel suffocated.

She thought her opinion of Li Wei couldn’t get any lower, but somehow, it just did.

Xia You’s face darkened as she fell into a heavy silence. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she asked, “When did all this happen?”

“Oh,” Zhou Wanwan narrowed her eyes and chuckled knowingly, dragging out her words with deliberate ambiguity, “That was ages ago. She started mentoring me not long after joining Rixin. You do the math.”

Xia You froze.

So Li Wei had been doing this almost immediately after returning to the country?

Back then, Xia You had been in that ambiguous, friendship-tinged relationship with Li Wei for over two years. Completely unaware of Li Wei’s actions, she would drag Li Wei out on dates, chatting about everything under the sun.

Perhaps right after those sweet, exploratory ‘dates’ at dessert shops, accessory stores, and other couple-friendly spots while Xia You remained oblivious, Li Wei would rush off to her entertainment industry networking events and mess around with Zhou Wanwan.

Xia You took a deep breath, her fingers clenching. Her usually gentle eyes were now filled with a hidden turmoil, barely registering Zhou Wanwan standing nearby.

Zhou Wanwan studied her expression, and some of the hostility in her heart unexpectedly dissipated.

This was just another unfortunate omega, after all.

As her sudden surge of anger faded, she found herself losing interest in the whole scene, even wondering why she’d thrown such a tantrum in the first place.

After some thought, Zhou Wanwan realized she’d gained nothing from this no role secured, no connections strengthened. With a disinterested flick of her small handbag, she added absently, “Anyway, Li Wei knows everything I do. Even if she doesn’t find out immediately, she will eventually. Just remember, don’t put all the blame on me alone.”

With that, she walked out of the break room.

Xia You stood frozen for a moment, then closed her eyes, trying desperately to calm herself though it proved nearly impossible. Her resolve to cut ties with Li Wei reached its peak.

She truly, genuinely didn’t want to see Li Wei ever again or hear anything about her.

After a long silence, Xia You turned and left the break room, taking the elevator straight down and walking out of the company without even asking for leave or saying a word to Bai Shuixi.

Bai Shuixi sat in her office, suddenly overcome with an odd sensation.

Ever since her relationship with Xia You had crossed that unexpected line, the pain beneath her ribs had persisted relentlessly for over two months, she’d nearly grown accustomed to it. But now, for some reason, the pain had abruptly vanished, leaving behind an unsettling emptiness in its place.

Bai Shuixi pressed a hand to her strangely uncomfortable torso, but couldn’t muster the focus to dwell on it. Restlessly, she resumed the action interrupted by the sudden absence of pain and picked up the intercom phone on her desk.

She wanted to go find Xia You.

Truth be told, she’d wanted to chase after Xia You the moment she left earlier. But the wrongdoing was hers to bear, she was the one who’d allowed Zhou Wanwan in, after all and guilt weighed heavily on her conscience.

She wanted to bring up old matters to ‘provoke’ the female lead, which would inevitably hurt her feelings to some extent.

If she tried to comfort Xia You now, it would only interrupt Xia You’s emotional transition. If Xia You’s mood improved and she stopped holding a grudge, wouldn’t all her efforts be in vain? Would she have to find another way to hurt Xia You’s feelings again?

Bai Shuixi thought it over and realized she probably couldn’t bring herself to do that.

In that case, it would be better to stay consistent from the start.

Yet she couldn’t shake off a lingering unease, even a vague sense of foreboding. This was quite unusual for her someone who rarely experienced emotions, let alone premonitions or panic. The feeling was anything but pleasant.

The intercom connected quickly, and her secretary’s voice came through: “President Bai, any new arrangements?”

Bai Shuixi frowned slightly, her lips parting hesitantly before she asked, “That, where’s Xia You? Is she in the office?”

“Assistant Xia?” The secretary sounded surprised, scanning the room. “She hasn’t returned yet. It’s been about half an hour since she left your office…”

Bai Shuixi’s frown deepened before she could decide whether she should be concerned, when suddenly, the system chimed in.

Only Bai Shuixi could hear the unreliable thing speak: 【Ah, congratulations, Host! Your permissions have been upgraded, and the shared-sensation penalty has been revoked.】

Bai Shuixi froze, but instead of feeling pleased, her expression darkened. She muttered a quick “Got it” into the intercom before hanging up on the secretary. In the privacy of her office, she addressed the system coldly: “Your tone doesn’t sound very congratulatory. Are you sure this is good news?”

The system whined: 【Well, permission changes are great for you task-takers, but we systems have a lot of extra work to do!】

Bai Shuixi’s voice was icy, laced with barely concealed irritation: “So why the change? From what you’re saying, it seems my authority increased. Why?”

The system stuttered as if glitching: 【Well,  it involves some role adjustments, like position swaps and stuff】

Its words were already vague, and its voice trailed off, making it hard for Bai Shuixi to catch. She frowned. “What did you say?”

【Ugh! It’s all about the main system’s algorithms! Even if you ask me, I don’t understand!】 The system panicked, resorting to nonsense.

But Bai Shuixi wasn’t about to indulge it: “Then what’s the point of you?”

The system: 【Maybe I’m just, a smart navigation assistant?】

“…” Bai Shuixi pinched the bridge of her nose, realizing once again that the system had no intention of being honest. She’d be better off figuring out what Xia You was up to right now.

Just as she was about to cut off the connection in frustration, the ever-enigmatic system piped up again, as if uneasy: 【Oh, uh,  if you do well in this mission, could you maybe look out for me? Please? I need to earn points.】

“…” Bai Shuixi fell silent for a moment, too exasperated to speak. She let out a cold laugh, her tone eerily calm, uncharacteristically so.

The system waited hopefully, only to hear Bai Shuixi reply indifferently: “Sorry, but I’m just a villain. Can’t help you there. If you need favors, go ask the protagonist.”

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