The Paranoid Female CEO’s Contracted Beauty (Omegaverse) - Chapter 37

Xu Qingyan had been feeling on edge ever since Li Ge deliberately refused to return home. Her already unstable pheromones began to flare more frequently, growing increasingly chaotic. Thankfully, the emotional release and comfort from their recent intimacy had helped soothe that inner turmoil, calming her restless energy.

But now, after Pei Xiaoyu’s confrontation, all that suppressed frustration returned with full force.

“If there’s nothing else, you should go. I still have work to do and can’t keep chatting,” Xu Qingyan said plainly.

She was clearly sending her away.

Pei Xiaoyu knew it too, but she couldn’t accept it. Even if she no longer had feelings for Xu Qingyan, hearing her say she had never once felt anything for her still made her jealous.

She was jealous that the omega had done nothing and yet won Xu Qingyan’s full attention. Jealous that the omega was being treated so specially. Jealous that someone not even her equal could receive such affection.

“Qingyan, don’t you think this is unfair to me?” Pei Xiaoyu asked bitterly.

Xu Qingyan paused, her expression puzzled. Love had never been about fairness. You either liked someone or you didn’t. What fairness was there to discuss?

Besides, she had never liked Pei Xiaoyu in that way. The only reason Pei Xiaoyu had stayed close to her over the years was because Aunt Xu had forbidden any other omegas from getting near her. If anyone was to blame, it was Xu Hong. Not her.

“Xiaoyu, feelings don’t work that way,” Xu Qingyan replied tiredly as she massaged her temples. “I don’t have romantic feelings for you, but I’ve always treated you like a younger sister. That’s not unfair.”

“But I’m not a child anymore. I’m a grown omega. Between an alpha and an omega, there’s no such thing as pure sibling affection.”

“But that’s exactly what I feel toward you—pure sibling affection.”

Pei Xiaoyu couldn’t argue with that.

She had never once seen even a flicker of desire in Xu Qingyan’s eyes. From the beginning, Xu Qingyan had only ever seen her as family.

And that was what made it so infuriating.

She couldn’t understand why Xu Qingyan didn’t like her. She was a top-ranked omega, the kind that any alpha should naturally be drawn to. How could Xu Qingyan feel absolutely nothing? Not even a little?

“But… but still…”

“Xiaoyu, I’m really busy these days. Go home for now. If you need anything in the future, you can come to me. If I can help, I will,” Xu Qingyan said as she called Secretary Su to escort her out.

After Pei Xiaoyu left, Xu Qingyan picked up her phone and opened her photo gallery. She tapped on the only personal photo stored there—one she had secretly taken the night before.

In the photo, the omega was curled up in her arms, fast asleep, her cheeks flushed from exhaustion. She looked like a little porcelain doll reddened by winter frost—so soft, so helpless, impossible to resist.

Xu Qingyan gently swiped across the screen with her thumb, her mind drifting back to when they first met.

It was the day she had presented a project proposal for a new company initiative. Xu Hong had hated it. In anger, she banned Xu Qingyan from returning home that night and even confiscated her phone. A heavy rain had started, but Xu Qingyan, drowning in frustration, didn’t even try to find shelter.

That was when the omega entered her life.

“Big sister, why are you standing here without an umbrella?”

The small-statured omega rose up on tiptoes and held her already small umbrella over Xu Qingyan’s head.

“The rain is going to get heavier. If you stay out in it, you’ll catch a cold. And if you get sick, your family will definitely worry.”

Xu Qingyan had been in a foul mood. The sound of someone chattering beside her only irritated her further. But she had never been much of a talker, especially with strangers. So she stayed silent, letting the omega speak.

Unexpectedly, the omega soon fell quiet. She seemed to sense that something was wrong and began rummaging through her backpack.

Xu Qingyan had wanted to help hold the umbrella. The girl was still so small and was balancing on tiptoes to keep the umbrella over her. It must have been hard for her to reach into her bag like that. But Xu Qingyan didn’t want to speak without reason, and she felt it would be impolite to grab the umbrella without permission. So instead, she silently focused on the umbrella handle, ready to catch it if the girl’s arm gave out.

Eventually, the omega pulled something out of her bag.

A packet of tissues.

She awkwardly held the umbrella in one hand while trying to open the tissue packet with the other. After finally extracting one, she held it out to Xu Qingyan.

“Here.”

Even though she was still in a terrible mood, Xu Qingyan couldn’t help but turn toward the kind voice.

The omega had intended to hand the tissue to her so she could wipe the rain off her face. But maybe she had noticed Xu Qingyan’s unpleasant expression, because she ended up doing it herself.

She didn’t ask for permission. She simply started wiping her face, the rough tissue grazing Xu Qingyan’s cheek without the slightest gentleness.

Xu Qingyan had been slightly angry at that moment. She couldn’t understand how someone could be so bold and so lacking in manners. She hadn’t even asked.

Just as she was about to lose her temper, the omega finished, stuffed the remaining tissues into her hand, and spoke again.

“I’ll walk you to a spot where you can stay dry. Once we’re there, you can use the rest of these. If it’s not enough, I’ve got more in my bag. You really shouldn’t stay soaked like this. It’s easy to catch a cold.”

Xu Qingyan wanted to say that she didn’t need any help. She had come out precisely because she wanted to get rained on. But before she could speak, the omega gently tugged her toward a nearby building’s awning.

“Here. Use those tissues now. If you need more, I have extra.”

With that, she pulled out another two or three packets from her backpack.

But Xu Qingyan was already drenched by the time the girl had arrived. No amount of tissues could fix that. She turned her down.

“No need.”

The moment Xu Qingyan spoke, the omega looked genuinely surprised. But she clearly didn’t understand.

“Why not? You’re soaked. If you don’t dry off, you’ll definitely get sick.”

Xu Qingyan didn’t want to explain, but if she didn’t, she suspected the omega would keep talking until nightfall. After thinking for a moment, she said, “I’m soaked from head to toe. Wiping my face won’t help.”

The omega clearly didn’t believe her. She reached out and touched the hem of Xu Qingyan’s coat. Feeling the damp fabric, her hand quickly pulled back in disappointment.

“But… but all I have with me are tissues.”

Xu Qingyan had wanted the girl to leave her alone, to stop worrying about her. Once she was done standing in the rain and her mood had settled, she would have called a friend to come pick her up. But she had spoken too late. The omega had already taken hold of her arm.

“I might only have tissues, but I’ve got plenty of money!” the girl said cheerfully, pulling a few bills from her pocket. “My dad gave this to me and said I could spend it however I like. You’re completely soaked. If you don’t change your clothes, you’ll catch a cold. Come with me, I’ll help you buy something clean to wear.”

Xu Qingyan froze for a moment.

She had grown up under Xu Hong’s watchful eye, and if there was one thing she had learned, it was to never trust people easily. In this world, there was no such thing as kindness without reason. If someone treated you well, they were usually after something.

But this girl didn’t know her at all. She had nothing on her worth coveting. She looked disheveled, cold, and completely out of place. So why was this omega being so kind?

And if she really didn’t want anything in return, wasn’t she worried she was being deceived?

The thought stirred something in Xu Qingyan. She couldn’t hold back her curiosity.

“Do we… know each other?” she asked.

The omega blinked in surprise, clearly confused by the question. “Of course not. If we did, I would’ve already taken you home with me.”

“Then why are you doing this for me?”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you afraid I’m a bad person? That I’m pretending just to scam you?”

“You’re definitely not a bad person,” the omega answered without hesitation.

Xu Qingyan couldn’t understand. It made no sense. In her experience, bad people never wore signs saying they were bad. Where was this blind confidence coming from?

“Why do you think that?” she pressed.

The omega glanced at her, then quickly looked away, a shy blush rising on her cheeks.

“Because you’re so pretty. Someone who looks like you would never lie to me… right?”

Xu Qingyan didn’t respond with agreement. Instead, she countered calmly.

“No. The prettier someone is, the more likely they are to lie.”

The omega pouted at her answer and mumbled something under her breath. She looked genuinely upset, keeping her head low and saying nothing more. It was as if she had been hurt by Xu Qingyan’s cold response.

Xu Qingyan was not good at comforting people, but she had a sharp tongue. She didn’t want to waste the girl’s time and figured it would be best to make her leave directly.

“You should go home,” she said bluntly.

But the omega lifted her head and shook it at once.

“No way. I told you I’d help you get some clean clothes. Even if you really are a bad person, the worst I’ll lose is the cost of a set of clothes. But if you’re not, and I leave you like this, it would be like watching someone suffer and doing nothing.”

As she spoke, she grabbed Xu Qingyan’s hand and started pulling her toward the nearest clothing store.

Xu Qingyan didn’t want to go. She was taller and stronger. If she resisted, there was no way the omega could have dragged her anywhere. But strangely, despite her inner resistance, she followed. Her body moved before her mind could argue.

Later, the girl didn’t just buy her a full change of clothes. She also got her an umbrella and some food. She had guessed that Xu Qingyan might be in the middle of a fight with her family and possibly running away from home. She even tried to give her some money to stay in a cheap motel for a few nights.

Of course, Xu Qingyan didn’t take the money. She only accepted the umbrella and the food. She had planned to return the favor the next time they met.

But no matter how many times she returned to that place, the omega never appeared again.

And so, it became an obsession.

That round, doll-like face took root in her heart and slowly grew, until it became an unshakable part of her world. It sprouted like a tree in the soil of memory, its branches winding deep into her soul.

Eventually, she couldn’t hold back any longer. She secretly ordered someone to investigate the girl.

That was when she finally learned her name: Li Ge.

It was such a beautiful name.

Xu Qingyan spent that entire day repeating it to herself, over and over again.

But the girl had still been too young back then. If she had rushed up and confessed her feelings outright, she might have scared her away. Worse, she could have been seen as a creep or predator.

So she chose to wait.

To endure.

But even that didn’t go as planned.

It was as if fate itself had decided to work against her. As if the universe had sworn to keep them apart, constantly throwing obstacles in her path and tormenting her with one twist after another.

Every time she thought of it, Xu Qingyan couldn’t help but feel a cold fury build in her chest.

She wanted nothing more than to make Li Dahai pay for what he had done.

But now, it didn’t matter anymore.

No one could take Li Ge away from her.

Li Ge was hers, and hers alone.

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