Forced to Romance the Omega Psychiatrist - Chapter 47.1

Xia You hailed a taxi downstairs from Tianyin and headed home.

Not to Bai Shuixi’s place, nor to the small apartment she rented closer to her counseling office, but to her parents’ old house in G City, the home where she grew up, before her parents’ work relocated them.

It was an apartment in the old district, one of G City’s earliest duplex units. The ceilings weren’t high, the layout was outdated by over a decade, and the exterior looked worn with age.

Xia You had spent her entire middle school years here. Countless times, she had walked these paths with Li Wei. Back then, Li Wei’s family even lived right above hers. On breezy summer nights, the two of them would climb up to the rooftops of some of the older buildings in the neighborhood to cool off.

Xia You had thought she would always cherish these memories, even after she and Li Wei drifted apart.

Even as Li Wei’s image in her heart crumbled time and again, Xia You had never considered coming back here. She had always believed that what happened later was separate that the girl she had loved in her youth wasn’t at fault.

But such tolerance had its limits.

Xia You got out of the car by the roadside and strode into the neighborhood, heading straight for the apartment building.

As she climbed the familiar stairs, time seemed to rewind to the summer when she was sixteen.

The sunlight back then had been far brighter than it was now. Light, carefree footsteps echoed in the stairwell as two girls in white blouses and pleated school skirts dashed past Xia You, one chasing the other.

Xia You paused, momentarily dazed, and lifted her gaze slightly, as if catching a glimpse of her past self and Li Wei through the haze of years.

The younger Xia You, still undifferentiated, was even slimmer than she was now, her figure just a faint silhouette. High-school Li Wei walked ahead, seemingly teasing her, smug about evading Xia You’s playful pursuit as she turned back with a laugh.

Her gaze, bright and unburdened, pierced through time and locked with Xia You’s.

That pristine, youthful smile froze Xia You for a moment before abruptly dredging up memories.

The illusion shattered violently. In its place stood the mature Li Wei sharp, poised, always keeping Xia You at arm’s length, along with every ugly thing she had done.

Disgusting and despicable.

Xia You took a deep breath, steadying her trembling hands, and continued up the stairs to unlock the door.

The apartment had seen better days. Xia You’s family had long since moved out, and Li Wei’s had left even earlier. Now, only their grandparents lived here.

Xia You exhaled softly, moving quietly to avoid disturbing her grandmother, only to find her mother, on leave watering plants in the living room instead.

“Xiao You?” her mother called in surprise.

Xia You stiffened, lowering her head slightly as she pressed her lips together. In her current mood, she wasn’t in the mood for conversation. “I’m just here to pick up some of my things,” she muttered before hurrying upstairs.

Her mother watched her go, baffled.

The wooden stairs in the house made a slightly muffled sound as they collided with her heels. Xia You jogged all the way up until she could no longer feel her mother’s gaze before stopping to slowly exhale.

The second floor was where Xia You had lived during her teenage years. Even after her grandmother moved in, the layout remained largely unchanged, still exactly as she remembered it.

Pausing briefly at the door to her old room, Xia You pushed it open and stepped inside.

This place held her entire girlhood, frozen in time. The moment she entered, she could almost recall the faint fruity scent of incense that used to linger in the air as she sat there, slowly writing down the secret thoughts of her younger self.

After a moment of silence, Xia You walked past the low cabinet by the bed and went straight to the bedside, pulling out a wooden box from underneath.

The box was neither too big nor too small, its design reminiscent of an old-fashioned British-style suitcase, with delicate carvings on the surface, clearly something treasured. Xia You unfastened the metal clasp near the handle and lifted the lid.

Inside was packed full of mementos: ceramic dolls and bracelets that were obviously tourist souvenirs, a scrapbook-like journal, filled diaries, little notes passed in class, an entire bottle of folded paper cranes, even a grasshopper woven from straw and a bundle of preserved flowers.

Some of these items were difficult to preserve, yet they had been carefully protected all this time.

Xia You stared deeply at the box. Everything inside was related to Li Wei. She should have come back long ago to throw it all away.

Li Wei’s deceit and ruthlessness made her want to erase every last trace of those memories, even regretting ever having known or liked her in the first place.

If only time could be rewound.

Dumping everything out of the box, Xia You stood up and grabbed a bag, then went on to collect the photo albums, trinkets, and letters from the bookshelf. By the time she stuffed everything inside, the bag was nearly overflowing.

Once everything was packed, Xia You hurried downstairs with the bag, deliberately avoiding her mother’s gaze as she left, her demeanor noticeably cold.

She didn’t want to involve her family over something as trivial as personal feelings.

After all, the Xia and Li families had been neighbors for nearly a decade. Though their interactions had dwindled over the years, they had once been close. Xia You wasn’t ready to drag their generation’s issues in front of the elders and make things awkward for everyone.

Her mother didn’t press for answers, casually snipping flower stems as she asked, “Leaving so soon?”

Xia You stiffened slightly before answering softly, “Yeah, just came to grab a few things.”

Her mother instinctively glanced back, her eyes landing on the bag in Xia You’s hand. She chuckled, teasing her like a child:

“Oh? Aren’t these all your favorite things? Why take them all out like this? Don’t want them anymore?”

“Weren’t you crazy about that girl next door? Back then, you’d solemnly store away every little thing she gave you, it was so funny to watch.”

“I don’t like her anymore,” Xia You tilted her head slightly, hiding the look in her eyes as she murmured, “I don’t like her, Mom. I won’t ever like her again.”

Her mother froze, seemingly caught off guard, as if she hadn’t fully processed the words.

Without looking back, Xia You turned her face away and said, “I’m heading out first.”

In a hurry, Xia You left the old apartment building and threw all those unbearably heavy items into the trash bin downstairs.

With a loud clatter, the once-treasured belongings lay scattered and pitiful in the garbage. Xia You couldn’t help but space out for a moment, only snapping back to reality when it fully sank in that she had truly discarded them all.

Yes, liking Li Wei in the past had been a lapse in judgment, poor eyesight, muddled thinking, and terrible taste in people. She would never make the same mistake again.

Turning away, Xia You walked along the path through the residential complex. To distract herself and figure out what to do next, she began recalling what Zhou Wanwan had said before leaving.

What did she mean by “everything you’ve done, Li Wei knows about it”? Was Zhou Wanwan hinting at something?

Actually, many details had hinted that Zhou Wanwan and Li Wei might have been involved in the incident where Xia You’s pheromones went out of control. She just hadn’t wanted to admit it, and later even considered giving up the investigation altogether by focusing on her feelings for Bai Shuixi.

How foolish.

Xia You exhaled softly, watching her breath form a white mist in the air.

Earlier, consumed by anger and hurt, she hadn’t noticed the weather. Now, she finally felt the chill.

The winter wind in City G cut like a knife, seeping through her clothes. Xia You sighed, lowering her gaze as she tightened her collar.

Some things couldn’t be avoided. No matter how scared she was or how much she didn’t want to face it, the unresolved issues with Li Wei had to be dealt with. And as for Bai Shuixi, she wanted Bai Shuixi to like her too.

She just hoped Bai Shuixi wouldn’t push her too far away.

Lost in thought, Xia You walked past the security booth at the complex’s entrance and then froze.

Not far from the gate, beneath a large tree, stood an imposing black G-Class Mercedes, its sheer presence practically screaming “expensive.” But the owner of the car looked even more unattainable.

Passersby cast lingering glances, their eyes filled with awe, though it was hard to tell whether they were admiring the car or the woman beside it.

A strikingly beautiful woman with an aloof demeanor leaned casually against the vehicle, exuding an air of aristocratic detachment.

When alone, Bai Shuixi always seemed listless, her overly pale skin and lips giving her a faintly sickly appearance.

After a brief hesitation, Bai Shuixi’s indifferent gaze swept over and paused when it landed on Xia You, her long lashes fluttering slightly.

Before Xia You could react, Bai Shuixi noticed their encounter and unconsciously adjusted her posture, pulling her hands from her pockets.

Her eyes lingered on Xia You, as if she wanted to say something but held back.

Xia You stared for a moment, her lips parting slightly. Her gaze drifted to Bai Shuixi’s noticeably thin coat, and she murmured, almost dazed, “You, why are you here?”

Aren’t you cold dressed like that?

Bai Shuixi remained a few steps away, her expression calm. Only when looking at Xia You did her usual coldness soften slightly. After a pause, she said, “I came to find you. You, filled out most of your information on the employment form.”

Xia You stiffened, her hands clenching tightly inside her pockets.

An inexplicable intuition surfaced at least in this moment, Xia You was utterly convinced: Bai Shuixi loved her.

Overwhelmed by a surge of affection and lingering grievances, Xia You didn’t hesitate before rushing toward Bai Shuixi and throwing herself into her arms.

Bai Shuixi froze, instinctively catching Xia You.

Feeling the soft warmth in her embrace, Bai Shuixi hesitated for half a second before finally giving in and tightening her hold.

She had been watching Xia You from a distance, the Omega standing in the wind, looking a little dazed, her nose already red from the cold, yet still staring at Bai Shuixi with eyes that seemed slightly reddened at the corners.

She had wanted to hold Xia You close right then.

The pitiful protagonist, though she shouldn’t have touched her, Bai Shuixi couldn’t help but want to cross that line.

Resting a hand on Xia You’s back, Bai Shuixi suppressed the urge to kiss the Omega in her arms, her thoughts momentarily adrift.

Why were her emotions so strange?

It wasn’t just that she wanted to kiss Xia You, to make love to her. Her heart was also filled with an overwhelming protectiveness, even a hint of fear.

But why should she be afraid? There was nothing to fear from Xia You, was there?

Bai Shuixi’s thoughts circled, confused and lost in the cold wind, until her ears caught the sound of Xia You’s heartbeat.

Steady, rhythmic, pulsing with the force of life.

Listening to it, Bai Shuixi suddenly found her answer.

Oh! I see, she thought. She was afraid that Xia You would get hurt, afraid that Xia You would think she wasn’t a good person once she learned of her schemes. She was afraid of losing Xia You.

Damn it.

She really did like Xia You,  not just to complete a mission, not just out of a momentary softness.

If she liked Xia You, what should she do next?

What about the rules of this world?

Bai Shuixi barely struggled before accepting the fact that she genuinely liked Xia You, her thoughts immediately and selfishly, turning to how she could protect her.

In that moment of shaken conviction, the fate lines of countless characters in this angst-filled world trembled violently.

Thoughts flashed through Bai Shuixi’s mind, data streams visible only to the system flickering rapidly, mirroring the turmoil in her heart.

In this instant, the story’s balance of love and indifference, possession and rejection, seemed to hinge entirely on the whim of this rogue character.

Bai Shuixi,who was usually bold, who dared to act recklessly when she wasn’t being lazy, fell silent for half a minute before suddenly deciding to throw caution to the wind.

What did rules matter? If she wanted to, loving Xia You once before leaving didn’t seem so bad.

After all, she liked Xia You.

And if she liked her, she couldn’t just let go.

With that thought, Bai Shuixi took a quiet breath, closed her eyes, and leaned into Xia You’s warmth, surrendering to the softness of her embrace.

They held each other for a long time. By the end, Bai Shuixi didn’t even notice how they got into the car.

Maybe it was the intense stare from the security booth’s old guard, or the occasional glances from passersby that grew too distracting but when Bai Shuixi came back to her senses, she and Xia You were already seated inside.

The car’s subtle fragrance was one Bai Shuixi liked. A few simple ornaments swayed quietly on the dashboard, the silver alloy planetary model at the center spinning in slow circles. Though everything was calm, the atmosphere inside the car seemed to grow steadily warmer.

Bai Shuixi tilted her head to look at Xia You, their gazes silently entwining. It was unclear which flicker of their eyes tugged at each other’s hearts, but suddenly, Bai Shuixi leaned in, her expression softening as her lips met Xia You’s slightly cool ones.

The kiss came without reason yet burned with intensity. What had begun as an instinctive desire for closeness and affection somehow spiraled into something far more heated.

Xia You, eyes closed in response, clutched the fabric at the back of Bai Shuixi’s collar as they pressed together, breaths and warmth mingling.

How long they kissed was impossible to tell, the sound of their lips parting and meeting filled the car. Bai Shuixi’s hand unconsciously wandered along Xia You’s clothes, only for Xia You to stiffen suddenly and mumble, “W-wait,  not here.”

Bai Shuixi paused, pulling back slightly in surprise.

Before she could fully process what had happened, Xia You, flushed with embarrassment, averted her gaze.

Her eyes, still hazy with lingering desire, accidentally flicked to the rearview mirror, then froze. Clarity returned in an instant, her entire body tensing as she urgently grabbed Bai Shuixi’s arm and shook it. “No, no, no, hurry, go, go now!”

“What?” Bai Shuixi had no idea what was happening but instinctively obeyed, starting the car and pulling away.

As the security booth in the rearview mirror grew smaller, Xia You finally exhaled in relief, murmuring, “I just saw my mom.”

The moment the words left her mouth, she stiffened again, realizing how much their hasty retreat after kissing in front of her house resembled a pair of secret lovers caught in the act.

“……” Bai Shuixi was silent for a beat before chuckling softly. “Ah. I suppose this does look, questionable.”

“I just—” Xia You’s face burned redder, stumbling over her words. “I didn’t want her asking questions.”

She had only just thrown out everything related to Li Wei. If her mother saw her being intimate with Bai Shuixi in the car, she’d inevitably connect the two.

“…Mm.” Bai Shuixi nodded, her expression cooling slightly as she replied with a light, “It’s fine,” and said nothing more.

After all, theirs wasn’t a relationship meant to last closer to a transactional arrangement. It made sense Xia You wouldn’t want her family to find out. Especially not when they’d just been kissing like that.

The traffic light ahead was about to change. Bai Shuixi slowed the car quietly, preparing to stop.

Xia You stayed silent but caught something in Bai Shuixi’s brief reaction.

As the car came to a halt at the stop line, Xia You suddenly blurted out, “Today was bad timing, but would you be willing to meet my family another time? Properly?”

“What?” Bai Shuixi blinked, turning to stare at her in confusion, as if she hadn’t quite processed the words. “You,  want me to meet your family?”

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