The Paranoid Female CEO’s Contracted Beauty (Omegaverse) - Chapter 39

Xu Qingyan didn’t send any more messages. It seemed she was disappointed. Li Ge held her phone and waited for quite a while, but it remained silent. There was no vibration, no new notification. After a bit, she gave up watching the screen and lowered her head to continue eating her lunch.

Yao Ying caught a glimpse of her expression and guessed something was going on. Her inner gossip instinct immediately kicked in. She reached over and nudged Li Ge’s hand, asking curiously,
“Hey, did she message you? Was it to ask if you’ve eaten?”

Li Ge didn’t answer right away. She didn’t like people poking into her private life, so she quickly denied it.
“No, it wasn’t that.”

“Wasn’t it?” Yao Ying clearly didn’t believe her and kept asking.
“There’s really nothing to be shy about. If she’s asking whether you’ve eaten, then that already goes beyond a typical sponsor arrangement.”

Li Ge’s hand froze for a moment as she was picking up food. Her expression turned a little blank, and it took her a few seconds before she slowly brought the food to her mouth.

She didn’t really understand what Yao Ying meant. Wasn’t it normal for Xu Qingyan to send a message like that?

Didn’t other people who had sugar relationships also do the same thing?

But she had never seen anyone else in a similar situation, so she wasn’t sure what was typical. Her father, Li Daha, had kept mistresses before. He even brought them home in front of her and lied that they were just friends. Of course, she knew the truth but never exposed him.

Her relationship with Li Daha had never been close. He had divorced her mother a long time ago, so she never really saw what he did as entirely wrong. Maybe it was morally questionable, but if she tried to stop him, it would only make him dislike her more.

That was why she always turned a blind eye to the women he brought home.

Li Daha usually just bought his lovers handbags, clothes, and other luxury items. He never cared much for their feelings. He didn’t have the patience. If one of them annoyed him, he would give them the cold shoulder. Eventually, he would kick them out without a second thought.

So, Li Ge didn’t feel like Xu Qingyan was treating her in any special way. On the contrary, she believed that Xu Qingyan was just trying to find out if she was with someone else, especially if that person was an Alpha.

“Ying-jie, you’re overthinking it.”

But Yao Ying didn’t agree. She had been in the entertainment industry far longer than Li Ge. She had heard all kinds of gossip and seen more than her fair share of similar situations. This kind of thing didn’t even count as a scandal to her. Compared to celebrities cheating or dating several people at once, being financially supported by someone was almost nothing.

What really interested her was how Xu Qingyan truly felt about Li Ge. If it was just a sponsor relationship, then maybe a few words in bed would be exchanged. But once they were done, each person would go their own way. They wouldn’t keep in touch unless there was a need.

But this situation was different. Xu Qingyan even asked if Li Ge had eaten. That kind of concern usually only came from someone in a romantic relationship.

“It’s not that I’m thinking too much. It’s that you’re not thinking enough, girl,” Yao Ying said. “But this isn’t really something I should get involved in. Just take what I said as a joke. All I’m saying is, based on what happened today, your sponsor definitely treats you differently.”

Li Ge kept her head down and didn’t say anything. But her thoughts remained unchanged despite Yao Ying’s comments.

Once they had nearly finished eating and rested for about ten more minutes, the director called out to everyone to continue reading the script.

Li Ge played the second female lead and had many scenes with other actors. Since it was her first time acting, she was understandably nervous. She misread several lines during the read-through, which made her scene partners a little annoyed.

But she had already come this far. There was no turning back. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and keep working hard.

Thankfully, her efforts started to pay off. After stumbling many times, she slowly began to get a feel for acting. Even though her performance still sounded raw and inexperienced, especially compared to the trained actors around her, at least she was no longer holding everyone back. That alone was a good sign.

“Not bad. You’re starting to get it,” Yao Ying praised.

Li Ge felt a little embarrassed and shook her head. She knew she had slowed things down. If it had been a professional actress in her place, they would have already moved on to the next phase.

Yao Ying noticed that Li Ge had the right attitude toward learning, so she patiently gave her some advice.
“Don’t be so tense. Relax. Imagine that you are the character. Immerse yourself completely. An actor brings their own understanding of the role to life. But you can’t stop at the surface. You have to understand the character deeply. For example, what kind of person is she at this point in the story? How does she change as the story moves on? At different stages, her tone of voice and the way she treats others will be different. It’s just like us in real life. When we’re kids, we’re lively and innocent. Once we start school, we begin to worry about exams. When we grow up, life makes us learn to bow our heads and be more tactful.”

Li Ge listened carefully and took notes. When there was something she couldn’t quite understand, she went directly to the director to ask.

Of course, not everyone appreciated her effort.

During breaks, when the director and screenwriter stepped outside to relax, some unpleasant whispers started making their way to her.

“Who is she trying to impress by acting so serious? Her sponsor isn’t even here. Does she expect us to praise her?”

“Exactly. Everyone knows she got in through connections. What’s the point of pretending? It’s obvious. Once filming really starts, she’ll show her true self.”

“Come on, give her credit. At least she’s pretending to work hard. That way, if the director scolds her, she can go complain to her sugar mommy.”

“You’ve got a point. People really aren’t what they seem. She looks all innocent and sweet, but behind the scenes she’s already sharing a bed with someone powerful. Even someone’s parents wouldn’t do something that shameless.”

“Careful what you say. If she hears this and tattles in bed, we’re the ones who’ll suffer. We don’t have anyone backing us.”

Li Ge stared at the script in her hands, feeling deeply uncomfortable. These people didn’t know anything about her, yet they spoke as if they knew her entire life. It was truly frustrating.

This reminded Li Ge of her time at Shengshi Entertainment. The annoying gossipers back then were exactly the same. They always judged people by their looks. But since she was a nobody, she had no voice. If she tried to speak up for herself, she would get scolded by Chen Xin. Even when the rumors were completely false, she still got blamed and slandered for no reason.

Now that the rumors were actually true, those people were still just as cruel. They didn’t care whether something was real or not. They never seemed to understand the meaning of kindness or restraint when they spoke.

The more Li Ge thought about it, the angrier she became. She clutched the script tightly, her emotions building to the point where she almost couldn’t hold back anymore.

Yao Ying noticed and quickly stopped her.
“Ignore them. They just love to gossip. Even if you got this role through your own hard work, they would still say you used connections. Listen to me. Focus on becoming a real actress. Once you reach a certain level and have works you can proudly show to the public, they will have no choice but to shut up. Besides, if you argue with them here and someone takes a photo or records it, it won’t just cause trouble for you. It will drag your sponsor into a media storm. And trust me, no sponsor wants their lover to create problems for them.”

Li Ge slowly loosened her grip on the script. She could already imagine it. If she caused a serious scandal, Xu Qingyan might very well cut ties with her early. She might not even receive the rest of the sponsorship payments. That would mean she had offended someone powerful and being blacklisted would only be a matter of time.

If that happened, she could easily be dragged back by Li Daha and sold off to some other businessman. That would be the beginning of a life darker than she could ever imagine.

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she felt. In the end, she nodded.
“Thank you, Ying-jie.”

The script read-through didn’t end until after nine o’clock in the evening. Since the filming team had more work scheduled for the next day, the director arranged hotel rooms for everyone so they could gather easily in the morning after dinner.

Li Ge thought she would be sharing accommodations with the other actors. But while everyone else already knew their room numbers, she was the last to be informed.

What confused her even more was that her hotel was different from where the other actors were staying.

Unable to make sense of it, she went to ask the director.
“Director Li, isn’t the whole crew staying at the same hotel? Why is my hotel in a different location?”

Director Li didn’t want to reveal the truth. When the rooms were being arranged, Xu Qingyan had personally called and asked for Li Ge to be put elsewhere. She didn’t want the omega to know she was involved, so Director Li made something up on the spot.
“The hotel was fully booked. Since your status is a bit special, I was worried you might not be comfortable sharing a space with the others, so I reserved a separate room for you at another hotel.”

Li Ge didn’t want to appear like she was getting special treatment. After all, these people would be her colleagues during the entire shoot. If she was treated differently from the start, it would only increase the resentment others already felt toward her.
“But Director Li, I…”

He was afraid she would ask more questions and risk exposing the truth, so he quickly cut her off.
“There’s more scheduled for tomorrow and we’ll be gathering early. You should head back and rest now.”

Li Ge had no other choice. If she kept pushing, it would only make her seem fake. So she went along with the plan and took a cab to the hotel that had been booked for her.

“Hello, I’m checking in. Room 502.”

The front desk took her ID, scanned it, and handed her a keycard.
“The hotel provides complimentary late-night snacks. If you need anything, just give us a call.”

Li Ge politely declined, took her bag, and headed up in the elevator.

When she reached the door, she used the keycard to open the room. The interior was completely dark. Not even the lights were turned on. This puzzled her. Usually, hotels would have housekeeping turn on the lights in the evening for arriving guests.

But this one didn’t.

Before she could think more about it, her hand touched the light switch. Suddenly, someone grabbed her wrist tightly and pulled her into the room. The door slammed shut behind her with a loud bang.

In the darkness, Li Ge was pinned hard against the wall.

Just as she opened her mouth to scream, it was covered by someone else’s in a forceful kiss that silenced her completely.

Support The Paranoid Female CEO’s Contracted Beauty (Omegaverse)