The Paranoid Female CEO’s Contracted Beauty (Omegaverse) - Chapter 36

After Xu Qingyan left, Li Ge got out of bed and quickly noticed that her body felt fresh and clean. There was no trace of discomfort or stickiness. Xu Qingyan must have helped her clean up last night and even changed her into new clothes.

Tsk.

Xu Qingyan really was a beast.

But this time, there was no pain left in her body. The places that had ached before were now completely overtaken by the lingering pleasure from the night.

Li Ge suddenly felt a wave of fear. If she became too accustomed to Xu Qingyan treating her this way, if she grew used to Xu Qingyan’s pheromones and began to surrender to them, she might eventually forget who she was. She might even become dependent on the alpha’s control, completely losing herself and becoming nothing more than a tool for Xu Qingyan’s release.

She could not let that happen.

Li Ge changed quickly and rushed downstairs. She could not stay in this private villa any longer. Coincidentally, today marked the beginning of the script reading for the film. That would be the perfect excuse not to come back. If she stuck to it, Xu Qingyan would have no way to force her presence, and she would no longer have to face her every day.

Over time, if Xu Qingyan continued trying to control her, all Li Ge would feel toward her was hatred.

Yes, she had to stay away from Xu Qingyan.

“Miss Li, you’re awake?” a maid asked, seeing her hurry down the stairs. “Is something urgent? Director Xu just left. If you’re looking for her, you’ll have to call.”

Li Ge shook her head. “No, I’m not looking for her. The director at the company is asking for me. I have to head over.”

Just then, the housekeeper returned from outside. Seeing Li Ge in a rush, she too looked puzzled. “Are you looking for Director Xu? She just left. If you need her, I can call her now.”

Li Ge shook her head again. “No, it’s not her. The film director wants to see me. I won’t be coming back tonight. Please let Director Xu know for me.”

She gave a polite bow, then ran out the door without even taking breakfast.

The housekeeper still found it odd and immediately called Xu Qingyan.

At that moment, Xu Qingyan was driving. She could not answer the phone immediately, but when she saw the housekeeper’s name on the screen, she guessed it might be related to Li Ge. She pulled over to take the call.

“What’s going on with Xiao Ge?”

“I just saw her run out right after you left,” the housekeeper reported. “I asked her where she was going, and she said the director needed her at the company and that she wouldn’t be returning tonight. I thought something might be wrong, so I’m letting you know.”

Xu Qingyan frowned in thought. She was aware that the film’s script reading began today, but she had already spoken with the director ahead of time. She made it clear that if Li Ge’s schedule caused delays, she would personally cover any additional costs.

So the director wouldn’t have sent an urgent message.

Which meant she had a good idea of why the omega left in such a rush.

Was it really that unbearable to see her?

“I understand. Let her go,” Xu Qingyan instructed. “Don’t prepare dinner for her tonight. There’s no need to prepare mine either.”

The housekeeper instantly understood what Xu Qingyan meant. “Understood.”

After hanging up, Xu Qingyan immediately contacted Director Li, but instead of calling, she sent a message through WeChat. She asked the director to reserve a high-quality hotel room for Li Ge, preferably with a large bed.

If the omega didn’t want to come home, that was fine.

She would simply stay with her at the hotel.

After sending the message, Xu Qingyan tossed her phone onto the passenger seat and stepped on the gas, heading straight to the office.

Meanwhile, Pei Xiaoyu had been waiting in Xu Qingyan’s office and was growing impatient. She stood up from the couch and walked to the desk, picking up some of the files placed there.

Secretary Su immediately stepped in. “Excuse me, Miss Pei. These files are only for Director Xu. Others are not permitted to view them. I hope you understand.”

The documents were not particularly sensitive, but Pei Xiaoyu was not part of the Xu Group. If she read them without permission, it would violate company protocol. If Xu Qingyan found out, the secretary would be held responsible for leaking company information.

It could even lead to legal consequences.

Pei Xiaoyu was clearly displeased. At home, she could look at whatever she wanted, whether it was allowed or not. No one had ever dared stop her.

She knew this wasn’t Pei Corporation, and she knew it was rude to go through someone else’s things. But if someone were going to stop her, it certainly shouldn’t be a secretary.

“How long have you been working with Qingyan?” she asked suddenly.

Secretary Su knew better than to offend Pei Xiaoyu, so she answered honestly. “Since the beginning of Director Xu’s term. It’s been two or three years.”

“Two or three years?” Pei Xiaoyu’s tone turned mocking. “You’ve only been with her for two or three years. I’ve been by her side since I was five or six. Do you understand what that means?”

Secretary Su lowered her head and said nothing.

But when Pei Xiaoyu picked up the files again, she still reached out to stop her.

Pei Xiaoyu glared at her and was just about to argue when the office door opened.

Xu Qingyan walked in with no expression, still holding her unfinished breakfast. When she saw Pei Xiaoyu and Secretary Su locked in a silent standoff, her face remained completely calm.

It was Pei Xiaoyu who suddenly felt uneasy. She quickly set the file down and smiled as she walked over. “Qingyan, I heard you usually come to the office early. Why are you so late today? It’s almost noon. Are you feeling unwell? Or was there something else?”

As she spoke, her gaze scanned Xu Qingyan carefully.

Her eyes landed on Xu Qingyan’s neck, and instantly, her expression turned cold.

There was a faint bite mark where her neck met her shoulder. Though subtle, it was clearly a human bite.

It was the kind of mark that couldn’t be self-inflicted.

“Qingyan, what happened to your neck? It’s a little red,” she asked, pretending not to know.

Xu Qingyan reached up and touched the spot. She could feel the texture of the skin. They had changed positions last night, and the omega had bitten her hard there. But clearly worried she might really hurt her, the bite wasn’t deep. It had left a gentle mark instead.

She would not have minded if the omega left more. In fact, she wanted her to. But Li Ge clearly didn’t want that kind of intimacy. She didn’t even like being affectionate. If Xu Qingyan didn’t take the initiative, it might take a hundred years just to make progress.

“It’s nothing,” Xu Qingyan replied, not bothering to explain. Her brief answer blocked Pei Xiaoyu from pressing further.

But Pei Xiaoyu refused to let it go. She was just about to ask more when Xu Qingyan turned to Secretary Su.

“You can go now. I’ll handle this.”

The secretary bowed politely and left the office.

After Xu Qingyan sat down, Pei Xiaoyu planted her hands on the desk and leaned forward, brows furrowed.

“Qingyan, you’re not being honest with me. I’m not stupid. That bite on your neck, it was that omega, wasn’t it?”

If anyone else had spoken to her like that, Xu Qingyan would have slapped them without hesitation. But Pei Xiaoyu was someone who had grown up beside her. She still had a little tolerance for her.

Even so, Xu Qingyan disliked being questioned about her private life. Her tone became cold.

“Who bit me doesn’t matter. It has nothing to do with you. I made myself very clear yesterday. Xiaoyu, we’re not right for each other.”

“Whether we’re right for each other is not up to you!”

Pei Xiaoyu’s voice trembled with emotion.

When she went abroad, she had already stopped feeling anything romantic toward Xu Qingyan. Just as Xu Qingyan had said, they truly were not compatible. Their personalities, tempers, and ways of thinking were from entirely different worlds.

But Pei Xiaoyu’s pride would never allow her to admit defeat. She had always been the one to walk away. No one had ever rejected her first. And to be cast aside for a mere A-rank omega? She, an elite S-rank, could not accept that.

“We’ve never even tried. How can you be so sure we’re not a match?” Pei Xiaoyu had made up her mind to interfere. She had to see for herself what kind of enchantress had bewitched Xu Qingyan.

“If I’m not suitable, does that mean she is? Does she even understand you? Does she know who you really are? She knows nothing about you. So how can she be more right for you than I am?”

Xu Qingyan did not want to get caught up in this pointless back-and-forth.

“It doesn’t matter if she understands me. What matters is that I understand her. I say she’s right for me, and that’s enough.”

Pei Xiaoyu opened her mouth to argue again, but Xu Qingyan immediately changed the subject.

“Why did you come to the company today? If Aunt Xu sent you to convince me, you can forget it. I won’t change my stance. You’ll find someone who suits you better. Don’t force yourself. Just look at Aunt Xu and Uncle Su. Their marriage is a perfect example.”

“How can you say that about your own parents?” Pei Xiaoyu demanded, clearly shocked.

“What do you want me to say instead? That their love story was beautiful?”

“I…”

“If the two of us end up like them, forced into a relationship, neither of us will be happy. You won’t find the happiness you’re looking for, and we’ll both suffer for the rest of our lives. Xiaoyu, is that really what you want?”

Pei Xiaoyu lowered her head in silence.

Everyone knew omegas were the ones who suffered the most. If an alpha marked them for life, there was no escape unless they underwent painful gland removal surgery. Otherwise, they would belong to that alpha forever.

“But we’re not getting together right away,” she said, lifting her head, trying to sound resolute. “We haven’t even tried. People fall in love over time, don’t they? You mean to tell me, after all our years growing up together, you’ve never had even the slightest feeling for me?”

Xu Qingyan shook her head without hesitation.

“No. I’ve always seen you as family. If I had even a hint of romantic feeling for you, when Aunt Xu forced me to stay in the country, I would’ve given up the Xu Group inheritance and gone abroad with you.”

Pei Xiaoyu froze.

She knew Xu Qingyan’s nature. If she decided on something, she would see it through at any cost. She was obsessive by nature. What she wanted, she got. If anyone stood in her way, she showed no mercy.

So it had been decided even back then… They were never meant to be.

Still, Pei Xiaoyu was unwilling to accept it.

“And what about her? She has no family background. Her father even sold her…”

Xu Qingyan’s expression instantly turned sharp.

“How do you know her father sold her?”

Realizing she had slipped, Pei Xiaoyu scrambled for an answer. There was no way she could tell her that Li Dahai had approached her father. If Xu Qingyan found out, she would sever ties with the Pei family without hesitation.

“I… I did some digging last night. I looked into her background.”

Xu Qingyan did not look convinced.

Pei Xiaoyu added quickly, “You’re in love with someone. Is it so wrong for me to check who she is?”

That clearly struck a nerve. Xu Qingyan’s expression grew cold, her gaze chilling like ice. It felt like standing inside a frozen cavern.

Pei Xiaoyu, startled by her reaction, hesitated to move closer. In the past, she could joke with Xu Qingyan, but now she had to watch every word.

“Qingyan… are you angry with me?”

“Why did you investigate her?” Xu Qingyan asked in a sharp, clipped tone. “If you wanted to know something, you could have asked me directly. I do not permit you to investigate her behind my back.”

Those words hit Pei Xiaoyu like a dagger.

She had thought, just like Aunt Xu, that Xu Qingyan was merely playing around. That once she lost interest, she would toss that omega aside.

But now, not only had Xu Qingyan taken the omega seriously, she had even turned against her for her sake.

Her heart twisted with both resentment and unwillingness.

“Qingyan, we grew up together. And you’re yelling at me over a stranger? Is she really worth it?”

“She’s not a stranger,” Xu Qingyan corrected calmly. “She’s going to be my partner. So please treat her with respect.”

Partner.

The word echoed in Pei Xiaoyu’s mind, making her feel unsteady.

“You’re saying she’ll be your partner? Are you really going to bring her into the Xu family? Aunt Xu already said she would never accept that omega. Are you really going to cut ties with her over this?”

Xu Qingyan had no interest in discussing this further.

Marrying Li Ge was her decision. Anyone who tried to stop her was standing in her way.

“Xiaoyu, are you here to stop me too?”

The moment the question left Xu Qingyan’s lips, a chill ran down Pei Xiaoyu’s spine.

She looked up into her eyes, only to see a cold, distant look that seemed to pierce straight through her.

Xu Qingyan had truly changed.

She was no longer the girl from her memories, who used to endure everything quietly.

She had become someone dangerous, sharp-minded, deeply guarded, and fiercely dominant.

“I… I didn’t mean it like that…”

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