The Paranoid Female CEO’s Contracted Beauty (Omegaverse) - Chapter 54

That evening, after dinner, Li Ge returned to the film set. Xu Qingyan personally drove her back. She was worried that Li Ge’s body hadn’t fully recovered and that something might happen while filming. She tried to persuade her to rest a few more days at home, but Li Ge insisted on going. In the end, Xu Qingyan had no choice but to compromise and told her assistant to take good care of her.

Originally, Xu Qingyan wanted to stay and accompany her, but Li Ge clearly didn’t want to see her. If she forced herself to stay, she worried that Li Ge might do something impulsive, so she had to leave.

As soon as she left, the whispers on set began to spread quickly.

“She hasn’t shown up for an entire week. Why is she even coming back now? Does she think acting is just for fun?”

“Exactly. She’s been treating the whole crew like her personal playground. I don’t know what kind of tricks she used in bed, but even Chairwoman Xu came to drop her off.”

“The one I feel the sorriest for is the fiancée. She has to watch her alpha spoil another omega, even taking her straight to bed.”

“What surprises me is how quiet the Pei family has been. Are they seriously just letting this happen to Pei Xiaoyu? Her fiancé is cheating and she’s just letting it go?”

“Even if she wants to speak out, what can she do? These are wealthy families. The marriage is a business arrangement. No matter how angry she is, she can’t destroy the alliance between the two families. It’s pathetic, honestly.”

The gossip felt like stones constantly rolling toward Li Ge’s heart. Even though Xu Qingyan had tried to explain things to her that morning, these words still felt like a ticking bomb that could explode at any time and tear her apart.

Her assistant stood quietly beside her. Seeing how unhappy Li Ge looked and hearing the crew whisper behind her back, she quickly messaged Xu Qingyan.

[Chairwoman Xu, Miss Li seems really upset.]

Xu Qingyan hadn’t gone to the office that day. She had postponed all her meetings and was sitting on the sofa with Tang Ling, still debating who was truly responsible for everything that had happened.

When she saw the assistant’s message, she paused the conversation and typed back immediately.

[Is she upset because someone said something on set?]

The assistant didn’t reply directly. She couldn’t repeat the gossip word-for-word. Knowing Xu Qingyan’s temper, if she spelled everything out, the entire crew might be fired.

After thinking for a moment, she replied briefly.

[Yes, they’re not saying very nice things.]

That was enough. Xu Qingyan already had a clear picture of the rumors flying around the set.

Tang Ling leaned close beside her and had seen the assistant’s message too.

“If you want to be with her long-term, then you have to show it,” she said firmly. “Right now, Xiao Ge clearly has no sense of security. From what I can tell, she doesn’t actually hate you. What she really wants is for you to give her a clear answer, something more than words. She needs something she can rely on.”

Xu Qingyan lowered her head. “But she said she doesn’t want to marry me…”

Tang Ling nearly burst into tears at how clueless she was.

“Let me say this, my dear Chairwoman Xu. Do you remember what you did to her this week? You didn’t just hurt her emotionally, you pushed her past her physical limits. Now you expect her to agree to marry you just like that? No one would say yes after that. And who’s to say you’re not just using marriage to keep her trapped by your side?”

Xu Qingyan nodded thoughtfully. That did make sense. She looked up at Tang Ling. “Then what should I do?”

Tang Ling rubbed her chin, then suggested, “Why not post something on Weibo? Make it clear you don’t have any engagement with Pei Xiaoyu, and that you don’t like her. Say that Li Ge is the one you truly love. Or you don’t even have to be that direct. You can post something romantic or ambiguous so that everyone knows you’re pursuing her. That way, people will understand she’s not some mistress you’re keeping. She’s the one you’ve been chasing all along. It will put all those nasty rumors to rest.”

She paused, then added, “If you can, go one step further. Reply to her Weibo posts publicly every day. Say you were wrong and that you’ll never treat her that way again. Ask her to forgive you. If she doesn’t respond, then keep doing it every day until she finally replies.”

Xu Qingyan rarely used Weibo. All her social media accounts were managed by Secretary Su, so she looked unsure whether Tang Ling’s plan would even work.

“You don’t trust me?” Tang Ling asked.

“This time, you have to listen to me. Last time I didn’t understand what kind of person Xiao Ge really was. If I had known she was so strong-willed, I never would have suggested something so reckless. She doesn’t respond to force. The more pressure you put on her, the less likely she’ll compromise. And the less she’ll believe you actually care about her. She’ll think you just want her body. So you need to go soft.”

“Try being gentle. Act pitiful. Tell her you love her so much it’s tearing you apart. Say that if you don’t see her every day, you can’t eat or sleep. Over time, once she sees how sincere and helpless you are, she’ll forgive you.”

Xu Qingyan thought it made perfect sense. Li Ge had never responded well to her aggressive methods. But back at the hotel, when she showed how exhausted she was, Li Ge hadn’t pushed her away. In fact, she had allowed her to hold her.

“Alright. I’ll post on Weibo now.”

She opened the app, only to realize she didn’t really know how to write a proper post. Embarrassed, she looked at Tang Ling for help.

“Do I post directly under one of her Weibo posts?”

Tang Ling nearly laughed, but then remembered Xu Qingyan’s day-to-day life was buried in business. She probably had no idea how to use these apps.

“Give me your phone.”

Xu Qingyan obediently handed it over. “Please don’t write anything outrageous.”

She had just managed to explain herself to Li Ge. If she messed it up now, Li Ge really would leave her for good.

“I won’t,” Tang Ling assured her. “If you don’t trust me, then sit next to me and watch. I’ll teach you how to do it so you can post it yourself.”

Xu Qingyan nodded and sat closer.

After about ten minutes of learning, Xu Qingyan finally figured out how to post and comment. She went straight to Li Ge’s profile and left a message under one of her recent posts.

[Xiao Ge, I know I was wrong these past few days. Can you forgive me? @LiGe]

[I have no engagement with anyone else. You are the only omega I’ve ever loved. @LiGe]

“Can you please respond to me? I’m begging you.” (attaches kneeling meme) @LiGe

Almost immediately, the post was picked up by gossip blogs and media outlets. Within just five minutes, it surged to the top of the trending charts.

#WhyIsXuCorporationChairwomanBeggingOnline
#WhoIsTheOmegaTheXuChairwomanLoves
#IsXuChairwomanUsingActressLiGeForLoveOrPublicity

Xu Qingyan had only wanted to reassure Li Ge, to make her feel secure. She wanted Li Ge to know that there were no lingering feelings between her and Pei Xiaoyu. If Li Ge still did not believe her, then honestly, she had no other way to prove it.

But when she saw her post being spread by clickbait media, followed by a flood of cruel comments aimed at Li Ge, she could not help but frown.

“None of them even know the truth. Why are they making such horrible assumptions about her? I am the one who forced her to stay, the one who trapped her by my side. Why is no one questioning me instead?”

Tang Ling gently comforted her. “Of course they won’t blame you. Look at who you are, and then look at who she is. Xu Qingyan, you are acting like you don’t know how this world works. But actually, I think this is good. The public might be harsh, but Li Ge will see how much effort you are putting in. That is what matters most. You even posted on Weibo. There is no way your childhood fiancée or her family will miss that. If there really was a marriage agreement, they would already be making noise.”

Xu Qingyan thought about it and realized Tang Ling was right.

Strangely enough, the Pei family had not called. Instead, it was her mother, Xu Hong, who lost her patience. The post had not been trending for even ten minutes before she called.

When Xu Qingyan saw her name on the screen, she did not even bother to pick up. She ended the call immediately.

“Your mom just called. Are you really not going to answer?” Tang Ling asked.

“I already know what she wants to say,” Xu Qingyan replied calmly. “She is furious because she finally realizes I am serious about Li Ge. I didn’t follow her instructions to accept Pei Xiaoyu. Now her plans have all gone up in smoke, and she is calling to yell at me.”

Tang Ling had only met Xu Hong once, but she already had a strong impression. Xu Qingyan’s mother was the type of alpha who controlled everything. She had always believed that letting her daughter form emotional attachments would weaken her. She would rather isolate her completely than risk her becoming what she considered soft or vulnerable.

“Your mother is terrifying. You are already running a major company on your own. The Xu family is doing well financially. Why is she still forcing you to marry someone you do not even like?”

Xu Qingyan did not have a clear answer. She knew better than anyone how strong the Xu family’s position was. They had no reason to form a marriage alliance. Even Pei Yuan had not been aggressive about it, which was why she had never agreed to Xu Hong’s plan to marry Pei Xiaoyu.

What she could not understand was why her mother insisted so strongly. It was obvious that Pei Xiaoyu did not like her either. Forcing the two of them together would only cause long-term pain.

“I don’t know,” Xu Qingyan said coldly. “And I don’t care. She gave up the person she loved for the sake of power. Now that she sees me choosing differently, she cannot accept it.”

Tang Ling could not help thinking about how unusual that was. What kind of mother could not bear to see her own daughter happy? But then again, Xu Hong had never loved the person she had a child with. That kind of woman might never be capable of loving anyone properly, even her own daughter.

“Let’s not talk about her. Go check if Li Ge replied to your post,” Tang Ling suggested, quickly changing the topic.

Xu Qingyan understood her good intentions and let the matter drop. “She probably didn’t respond.”

As expected, Li Ge had not replied.

Instead, her fans were panicking in the comments. They kept tagging her, asking if she had accidentally tagged the wrong person while drunk. Some said their idol was just a small-time actress who could not handle attention from someone like Xu Qingyan. They insisted she was undeserving of it.

Xu Qingyan ignored them. She scrolled to one of the top-liked comments and replied directly.

“I wasn’t drunk.”

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