The Paranoid Female CEO’s Contracted Beauty (Omegaverse) - Chapter 24

When no response came from inside, the maid stood at the door for a moment, then gently pushed it open. She saw Li Ge wrapped tightly in the blanket, lying on the bed with only half of her face showing. Even when she heard someone enter, she didn’t react.

The maid understood. She didn’t say much. Quietly, she walked over to the bedside and spoke softly.

“Miss Li, it’s already noon. Director Xu asked us to prepare some of your favorite dishes. If you’re still tired, you can eat a little and rest afterward.”

Li Ge stayed curled up. She didn’t want to eat. She didn’t want to see anyone. She didn’t even want to speak. In the end, she chose silence.

The maid was not upset. She simply placed the clothes Xu Qingyan had prepared for Li Ge beside the bed and said, “Miss Li, these are the clothes Director Xu picked out for you. Also, she asked me to tell you that if you don’t come down to eat within fifteen minutes, she will come up herself.”

The moment Li Ge heard that, her body tensed. The memory of Xu Qingyan’s madness from the night before made her bite her lip. She endured the pain and slowly turned her head to the side.

Perhaps because they were both Omegas, the maid immediately understood when she saw Li Ge’s red-rimmed eyes and the faint, ambiguous marks scattered along her neck and shoulder. She lowered her head in embarrassment.

“I’ll leave the clothes here, Miss Li. Director Xu is waiting for you downstairs to have lunch together. I’ll go down first.”

With that, the maid turned and quietly closed the door behind her.

After some time passed, Li Ge finally sat up slowly, enduring the burning pain all over her body.

She reached out to touch the clothes that Xu Qingyan had prepared. The material felt expensive and soft, clearly custom-made. Anyone else in her position might have felt delighted. After all, a patron who thoughtfully buys gifts and has them personally delivered is something many lovers could only dream of.

But Li Ge felt no joy. Every sharp ache in her body reminded her that from today on, she was completely reduced to being Xu Qingyan’s kept woman. Just one of many playthings that could be replaced at any time.

She quietly put on the dress. It was a high-necked, modern qipao. Standing in front of the mirror, she saw that it perfectly covered the marks on her neck.

Li Ge reached up and gently touched the gland at the back of her neck. That small, raised area was still warm to the touch. The heat from last night had not faded, and her hand trembled from the sensation.

She remembered how intense it had been. Xu Qingyan had clearly intended to make a permanent mark. There had been a moment when she bit down hard, her movements rough and possessive. But for some reason, Xu Qingyan had stopped. In the end, she had only made a temporary mark, breaking the skin lightly with her canine teeth.

As for the high-collared dress, Li Ge wondered why Xu Qingyan had chosen it. Was it out of consideration for her comfort, or was it to prevent others from seeing her in this state, from imagining anything improper?

Li Ge believed it was the latter.

With Xu Qingyan’s position and influence, she would never want anyone to know she kept a mistress at home. As the chairwoman of the Xu Group, such a scandal could damage the company’s reputation. That alone explained everything about her recent behavior.

Once she finished getting ready, Li Ge opened the door and headed downstairs.

Xu Qingyan was sitting on the sofa, her back straight and posture proper. A laptop rested on her knees. She seemed to be working. A Bluetooth earpiece was clipped to her left ear. Though the distance made it hard to hear clearly, her lips were moving constantly. She was probably assigning tasks or giving orders to her employees.

When she heard footsteps coming down the stairs, Xu Qingyan paused and looked up. She saw Li Ge walking toward her in the dress she had prepared.

For a moment, Xu Qingyan froze.

The dress was a soft shade of light green. On most people, it might have looked dull or made their skin appear darker. But Li Ge’s complexion was snow-pale, delicate like fine porcelain. The soft pink undertones in her skin made her glow in the dress, and the color complemented her perfectly.

She looked so radiant that Xu Qingyan couldn’t take her eyes off her.

Her gaze followed Li Ge step by step until she reached the bottom of the stairs. Only then did Xu Qingyan look away and end her call.

She wanted to compliment how beautiful Li Ge looked, but when she saw the cold expression on her face, she knew it was better not to say anything.

“Here’s the contract,” Xu Qingyan said, placing the document on the table in front of her.

Li Ge silently took the contract and flipped it open. Her eyes scanned the contents. She couldn’t help but ask, “Director Xu, what does this mean?”

Was this some kind of reward for what had happened the night before?

Xu Qingyan explained calmly, “There’s a new project. One of the female leads has dropped out, and I recommended you as a replacement. Let me know when you’re available, and I’ll inform the director.”

Li Ge hadn’t looked closely at the document yet. She was reminded of the contract she had signed with Shengshi Entertainment. Her voice dropped slightly.

“I’m still signed under Shengshi Entertainment. Even if I want to take on a new project, it needs to be approved by the company.”

“You mean it has to be approved by Wang Fan?”

Li Ge didn’t answer.

Xu Qingyan understood and replied, “You don’t need to worry about that. I already acquired your contract from Shengshi Entertainment. You’re now officially under Xu Group’s management. You report to no one else. You just need to listen to me. If anything comes up, you can call me directly, or you can contact Secretary Su. She will relay everything to me.”

Li Ge was stunned.

Wang Fan had actually agreed to let her go?

Li Ge was surprised.

No.

Wang Fan had business ties with Li Dahai. He would absolutely take his side. She didn’t believe for a second that Li Dahai had not told Wang Fan about what happened yesterday.

So the only explanation was that Wang Fan had been pressured by Xu Qingyan. He must have surrendered the contract because he had no other choice.

As for Xu Qingyan, the only reason she had gone through the trouble of retrieving that contract must have been because Li Ge was now her kept lover. Keeping her close probably felt safer.

Li Ge already knew that Xu Qingyan had no pure intentions, but right now, she had no other choice. Having one path to follow was already more than she could ask for.

When Li Ge didn’t respond, Xu Qingyan looked at her carefully, unsure what she was thinking. She asked, “You don’t like the supporting role?”

If Li Ge didn’t like being the second lead, that was fine. Xu Qingyan could just as easily give her the lead role, or even hire a screenwriter to build a new story around her. As long as Li Ge was willing, she could have anything.

At this point, Li Ge didn’t dare express any dislike. When a patron made a request, a kept lover should obey without complaint. She quietly replied, “No.”

No?

If she didn’t mind, then why did she still look so unhappy?

Was it because she had been hurt last night?

But that wasn’t her fault. With the way things happened, no Alpha could have kept full control.

Besides, she had already tried to restrain herself.

Li Ge had cried so hard and even passed out from exhaustion. That had truly frightened Xu Qingyan. It was only when she realized Li Ge was physically alright that she allowed herself to relax.

“Are you still in pain?” Xu Qingyan hesitated before asking.

Li Ge didn’t react right away. She thought Xu Qingyan was asking about something else. Then she noticed Xu Qingyan’s gaze drifting toward the lower part of her dress and suddenly understood. Her face turned red instantly.

She couldn’t believe how shameless this person could be. Did Xu Qingyan really not remember what she had done last night? And now she was deliberately bringing it up, pretending to be concerned?

It was on purpose. She was clearly doing it on purpose.

Li Ge clutched the hem of her dress tightly. After a long pause, she said softly, “No.”

Still no?

Xu Qingyan lowered her gaze, feeling disappointed. She couldn’t read anything from Li Ge’s eyes anymore. Before, she could understand her. Li Ge smiled, cried, got angry, even lost her temper with her. But now, all of those expressions were gone.

Li Ge’s face showed only coldness. And when she looked at her, there was something else—disgust.

Maybe she had really pushed her too far.

Would things have turned out better if she had waited longer?

But she couldn’t wait. She couldn’t stand seeing Li Ge in the arms of another Alpha, laughing and whispering sweet nothings. Even if Li Ge hated her, she would still do what she had to.

Li Ge could only belong to her.

“If there’s no objection, I’ll have Secretary Su contact the director,” Xu Qingyan said. Then she added, “You should get ready. The director happens to be available today. I’ll take you to meet him.”

Li Ge wanted to refuse. She didn’t feel like seeing anyone, let alone a stranger. But Xu Qingyan had already made the decision. Li Ge had no grounds to reject it. She lowered her eyes and gave a quiet reply. “Okay.”

Xu Qingyan closed the laptop and handed it to the housekeeper. Then she extended her hand toward Li Ge, silently asking to hold hers.

Li Ge didn’t move. She didn’t want to take her hand. Xu Qingyan’s expression darkened slightly and her tone turned firm.

“Xiao Ge, be good.”

She hated using commands like that, but Li Ge was clearly resisting her. If it continued like this, she would leave one day, without hesitation.

Xu Qingyan couldn’t accept that.

If Li Ge hated her but still stayed, then at least she would be close. Xu could live with that hatred. It would be proof that she still mattered. But if Li Ge started thinking about running, then Xu would have to use more drastic means.

Li Ge seemed to sense her mood and, after a long hesitation, slowly reached out her hand.

Xu Qingyan immediately pulled her into an embrace and gently patted her back, as if she were trying to calm a frightened kitten.

“Be good,” she said softly. “I’ll treat you well.”

Li Ge’s body stiffened. She didn’t understand why Xu Qingyan would say things like that. What was the point? She was just a temporary lover, kept for convenience. When the novelty faded, Xu Qingyan would throw her away without hesitation.

How laughable.

Xu Qingyan didn’t know what she was thinking, but she could feel the tension in her body. Maybe the sudden hug had scared her. She reached out again and gently ran her hand down Li Ge’s spine to soothe her.

Li Ge reacted instantly. Her body responded before her mind could stop it, and her thoughts were pulled back to the night before.

Xu Qingyan had done the same thing then—soft, slow movements down her spine, coaxing her through her tears.

To stop herself from making any embarrassing sounds, Li Ge bit down on her lip with all her strength.

Xu Qingyan noticed the change right away. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly.

“Relax,” she whispered.

But how could Li Ge possibly relax in this situation? She was certain Xu Qingyan was doing it on purpose. She knew how sensitive she was, yet she still acted this way.

She looked so calm on the outside, with that cold and beautiful face.

But on the inside, she was full of schemes.

Just as Li Ge was about to speak, Xu Qingyan suddenly stopped what she was doing. Without saying a word, she bent down and scooped Li Ge into her arms in a princess carry.

Li Ge’s eyes flew wide open. She instinctively wrapped her arms around Xu Qingyan’s neck, afraid of falling.

“What are you doing?” she asked, panicked.

Xu Qingyan felt secretly pleased by the reaction, but her face remained calm and expressionless.

“You’re not feeling well. I’m carrying you to the car.”

Li Ge was stunned. “What?!”

Before she could protest, Xu Qingyan was already walking out the door with her in her arms.

The car to the company had already been prepared by the housekeeper. It waited at the front entrance, with a driver standing by. As they stepped outside, Li Ge felt like her entire body was burning. Her ears turned so red they could have caught fire.

Now she was certain of one thing.

Xu Qingyan was doing this on purpose.

She wanted everyone to see. She wanted every pair of eyes to land on Li Ge, to witness how helpless she looked in this moment. It was deliberate. She was punishing her for her earlier resistance.

Li Ge clenched her teeth and buried her face into Xu Qingyan’s chest.

She had to admit, the warmth of her arms felt unexpectedly comforting.

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