After Marking a Paranoid CEO [Transmigration] - Chapter 7

After leaving the hospital, Xia Youxi took a bus to Ba Feng Entertainment Film City in the suburbs. Arriving at the entrance, she stood before the sign emblazoned with “Ba Feng Entertainment Film City,” her eyebrows arching slightly. This was one of the most frequently featured locations in the original novel.

Within these studio grounds, the male and female leads had shared countless intimate moments. Was she about to witness some firsthand drama?

Lost in thought, a female voice shattered her reverie. As a cannon fodder female supporting character, Xia Youxi wasn’t destined for juicy gossip; instead, she faced new troubles.

“Isn’t that Xia Weixi? What are you doing here alone, still wearing that cheap dress from last night? Did your attempt to seduce CEO Mu fail?”

The speaker was a tall, slender woman with waist-length hair, resembling a mop head atop a bamboo pole. Her heavily layered makeup nearly obscured her natural features, yet she still looked ordinary, her harsh words only amplifying her unpleasantness.

Xia Youxi immediately recognized her as a classic villainess—the Young Miss Han Bei, daughter of the original Xia Weixi’s company owner, whom she had seen through the Mysterious Force. Han Bei was also the instigator who had indirectly driven Xia Weixi to her ill-fated scheme of seducing Mu Huayue, ultimately leading to her tragic demise.

In the original story, Young Miss Han was jealous of the female lead but was constantly outmaneuvered by her. Eventually, she angered the male lead and met a disastrous end, losing everything.

Knowing Han Bei was destined for a tragic fate, Xia Youxi had no intention of wasting time on her. She offered a polite smile and turned to leave, but Han Bei blocked her path. “Hold on. Still planning to go back to the hotel? Didn’t you notice? The crew kicked you out of the group chat.”

Xia Youxi checked her Green Chat app and saw the notification confirming her removal from the group. Her original role had been a minor character bundled into a package deal by her company, so it was no surprise they’d replaced her after her prolonged absence. The only problem was, she no longer had a place to stay.

Where would she go tonight?

Xia Youxi glanced up at the moon. Han Bei stepped closer, catching a faint floral-fruity scent. She paused, startled. “You’ve transformed into an Omega?”

In this world, Betas had a chance to transform into either Alphas or Omegas upon reaching a certain age. According to the novel’s lore, Alphas and Omegas naturally emitted pheromone scents—subtle in daily life, detectable only at close range. These scents served as the primary means of distinguishing between Alphas and Omegas.

It was utterly illogical. Xia Youxi had been medically diagnosed as an Alpha, but her pheromones were so overwhelmingly sweet that strangers invariably mistook her for an Omega.

This actually made Mu Huayue’s disguise easier. Before leaving, Mu Huayue had reminded Xia Youxi to publicly declare herself an Omega. Keeping her promise, Xia Youxi replied, “Yes, I haven’t been to the set these past few days because I haven’t been feeling well.”

“Even transforming into a rare Omega couldn’t win CEO Mu’s heart? What a pity,” Han Bei said with a mocking smile, though her tone was solicitous. “Still, you’re an artist under my company, so let’s do this. My assistant was being difficult and got fired today. Since you don’t have any scheduled work, why not fill in for her temporarily? I’ll pay you daily, which should help your sister stay in the hospital longer. What do you say?”

The offer sounded generous, but using a fellow artist as an assistant was a blatant act of humiliation. This malicious supporting character clearly saw Xia Youxi as an easy target—powerless, without connections, and burdened with a dependent younger sister.

Xia Youxi was indeed quite vulnerable at the moment. She had no connections and was burdened with debt—both to CEO Mu and the company. The little money she had left, after taking a taxi from CEO Mu’s house, was barely enough to count on two hands.

I wonder how much the original owner spent on this elaborate makeover to seduce Sister Mu? Xia Youxi thought, ruefully. She actually thought her Taobao balance was just spare change, not her entire life savings!

Xia Weixi, you cannon fodder, you’re truly broke.

Poverty leaves you with few choices, especially when it comes to earning money. There’s no room for pride or status; anything that solves the immediate crisis will do.

Xia Youxi agreed.

She returned to the drama crew’s hotel with Han Bei, collected the original owner’s luggage from the front desk, and carried it upstairs. Han Bei was notoriously stingy; the assistant’s room didn’t even have a window. Xia Youxi tugged at the corner of her mouth and collapsed weakly onto the bed. The scene reminded her of her early days as a performer, when she was just a fringe act in variety shows. The small company she worked for back then hadn’t valued her, and she’d booked rooms like this to save money.

Later, after gaining fame through a girl group audition show, she no longer needed to pinch pennies and stopped subjecting herself to such indignities.

If only this world had girl group audition shows too…

Xia Youxi unlocked her phone, surprised to see a relevant post at the top of her feed—a recent update from Young Miss Han.

“Thank you, Daddy, for getting me a ticket to Show Youth! Once filming wraps up, I’m going to challenge myself with singing and dancing! [Happy]”

The post featured a poster for Show Youth, its background showing silhouettes of girls on a stage, clearly identifying it as a girl group survival show.

Seriously…

Xia Youxi didn’t know what to say. She hoped her company would select her as a benchmark contestant to send to the show. Typically, companies didn’t send just one person; in her previous life, she had only been included because she was helping the company’s young miss.

Later, her popularity surpassed the young miss’s, and the show’s producers favored her. With the backing of major capital, the small company couldn’t compete. The young miss was eliminated, while Xia Youxi advanced to the finals, transforming from a sparrow into a phoenix.

Confident she could replicate her success, Xia Youxi subtly inquired about the Show Youth tickets with Young Miss Han the very next morning.

Han Bei, aware of Xia Youxi’s intentions, deliberately strung her along. “You know the company has limited spots. If you want to go, you’ll need to prove yourself.”

Han Bei glanced at Xia Youxi. “This scene needs a foreground character. I don’t like the extras they hired. You’ll be my scene partner.”

“Okay,” Xia Youxi replied, her dimples showing. She thought the Young Miss had turned over a new leaf. It wasn’t until she was getting her makeup done that she realized she was playing a lowly servant girl forced to kneel and be slapped by the arrogant Young Miss.

Ha! What grudge does she hold against me?

Xia Youxi put on her hairpiece, changed into the simple period costume, and returned to the set, only to see the Young Miss covering her mouth as she yawned. “Go get me a coffee.”

Xia Youxi hesitated. “Won’t that delay the next scene?”

Young Miss Han sat on a folding chair, glaring at her. “Is your acting more important than my coffee? Can’t you see I’m helping you get into character as a servant?”

Xia Youxi suppressed her anger, maintaining her smile. “Alright, I’ll go to the supermarket next door. What would the Young Miss like?”

Han Bei scoffed. “Supermarket coffee? How good could that be? I want a Spanish latte from Percent Coffee.”

Xia Youxi looked troubled. “That place doesn’t do delivery. We can’t order from them.”

Han Bei tossed her hair, glancing at Xia Youxi. “That’s your problem. Your mistress wants coffee from that place, and it has to be hot. Don’t even think about ordering delivery. You have one hour. If you’re not back by then, your wages will be docked.”

Tsk, what a domineering and malicious female supporting character.

An hour sounded generous, but even taking a taxi to the cafe would take thirty minutes. This was clearly just a way to torment her.

Unfortunately, Xia Youxi was no longer the somewhat financially secure Xia Youxi. Now she was just a penniless, powerless cannon fodder, relying on the Young Miss’s invitation to even be here. Knowing this task would end badly, she still had to agree, feigning compliance. “Yes, Young Miss. Please advance the transportation and coffee expenses.”

Han Bei publicly ridiculed her in front of everyone, calling her a pauper.

Xia Youxi was indeed broke now, and she didn’t argue. She took the money from the Young Miss, turned away, and hailed a taxi, her resentment simmering. After placing the order remotely, she headed straight for the cafe.

Summer was the rainy season. It had been sunny when she left, but by the time she picked up the coffee, a sudden thunderstorm had erupted.

Xia Youxi sat in the cafe, impatiently tapping her phone. To save money, she had used a ride-hailing app with a discount on the way there. Now, due to the rain, no cars were available for her return trip.

Checking her phone’s countdown, Xia Youxi realized she had only twenty-five minutes left. Given the app’s estimated wait time, she wasn’t even sure she’d get a ride at all. If only she could hitch a ride!

Clutching her coffee, Xia Youxi rushed outside to hail a taxi. Just as she pushed open the door, her phone pinged. Thinking the app had finally dispatched a car, she quickly checked the notification, only to see a red alert from Adorable Pet Diary:

“Warning! The monitoring party is only 1 kilometer away!”

One kilometer? That meant they’d be here in less than five minutes! Xia Youxi frantically opened the map. Fortunately, though they were close, their route seemed to take them to the intersection beside hers. If she ran, she might just make it.

Five minutes—enough time to avoid a penalty and save on the fare. Xia Youxi was determined. To keep the coffee from spilling in the bag, she hugged it tightly and sprinted down the street.

Two blocks away, in a business sedan, Mu Huayue received a similar app notification: “Your beloved pet is running toward you.”

The red location marker flashed repeatedly. Mu Huayue instructed her assistant, Wen An, to roll down the window. Rain streamed into the car, and when Wen An instinctively raised a hand to block the spray, Mu Huayue frowned and told him to close it. But the half-open window suddenly slid all the way down.

The assistant pointed outside and calmly asked, “CEO Mu, there’s a woman in a stage costume lying by the roadside. Should we offer assistance?”

The red locator light remained stationary. Through the assistant’s shifted posture, Mu Huayue saw a young woman sprawled by the muddy roadside. Her hair bun had come loose, strands of long hair hanging messily over her shoulders. Her pink stage costume was stained with mud, but the girl seemed only concerned with the handbag clutched in her arms. She opened the bag and cradled a steaming cup of coffee, her shoulders trembling slightly, as if she were crying.

Mu Huayue frowned and instructed Wen An to take an umbrella and call the girl over to the car.

Wen An followed the instructions. Mu Huayue watched as the girl lifted her head, startled by the umbrella overhead. Through the open window, their eyes met.

The girl’s bright, spirited eyes blinked, as if she were a wronged child seeing a relative. Her eyes instantly welled up. Foolish, Mu Huayue thought to herself. She called out, “Get in.”

The foolish girl’s lips curved into a smile, revealing those faint dimples again. Just moments ago, she had been radiating gloom, but now she was smiling.

The dark clouds overhead slowly dispersed, and the sun peeked through.

The clearing sky dazzled Mu Huayue’s eyes. She straightened in her seat, her figure haloed in a radiant glow in Xia Youxi’s vision.

Xia Youxi stood up and walked toward the light.