The Black Lotus Wife Forces Me to Pretend to Be an Omega. - Chapter 31

The thrilling and romantic morning had passed, leaving Luo Xiaoxiao and Li Fanshuang starving.

“If I’d known, I would’ve grabbed more snacks,” Luo Xiaoxiao muttered as they arrived at the dining spot.

It was a large seafood market in the southern province, and the prices made Luo Xiaoxiao’s jaw drop.

What kind of lobster costs over a thousand yuan each?

Li Fanshuang also frowned at the prices. In the past, this wouldn’t have been considered expensive.

But now, the show had only given them 2,000 yuan. They’d already given Lu Yu and Zhu Yuxin 500, spent 200 on the mermaid-themed activities, and another 300 on gas, leaving them with just 1,000 yuan left.

Of course, they weren’t the poorest in the group.

At the seafood stall, they ran into the two who were.

Lu Yu and Zhu Yuxin were pacing back and forth, with Lu Yu occasionally trying to bargain with the vendor.

But the moment the vendor heard they only had 200 yuan, he completely ignored them.

From a distance, Luo Xiaoxiao spotted them and immediately tried to drag Li Fanshuang away.

Unfortunately, before they could escape, Zhu Yuxin’s sharp eyes caught them.

“Professor Li!”

Following her pointed finger, Lu Yu immediately noticed Luo Xiaoxiao’s fleeing figure.

“Xiaoxiao!” Lu Yu was ecstatic—finally, the rich ones had arrived. She had never been this desperate before.

Too bad this season was brutal—they’d even confiscated her phone.

“Oh, Yuyu~”

Luo Xiaoxiao pulled Li Fanshuang behind her and “enthusiastically” greeted them.

She could see the gleam in Lu Yu’s eyes—she was planning to freeload.

“Xiaoxiao, am I not your best friend?”

“No.” Luo Xiaoxiao deadpanned.

Lu Yu clutched her chest. “What? How could you say something so heartless?”

“That’s just how heartless I am.” Luo Xiaoxiao turned her head away. (╯^╰)

Lu Yu shuffled over, suddenly wrapping her arms around Luo Xiaoxiao’s ankles. “Xiaoxiao, look at me! I’m your Yuyu! You can’t do this to me! You used to call me ‘young miss,’ but now that you’re sick of me, you call me ‘little Yuyu’!”

Instantly, countless eyes turned toward Luo Xiaoxiao.

Even someone as shameless as her felt her face heat up.

Damn, the young miss is really going for it.

This is what hunger does to you—my dog acts like this too.

 

I think the person above is insulting someone, and I have solid proof.

 

Let’s be real, what can you even buy with a few hundred yuan? Just get a boxed meal.

 

They can’t—they have a mission to eat local specialties.

 

What’s the specialty of the southern province?

Seafood.

Luo Xiaoxiao pressed her lips together and glanced at the cameraman. “I’m allergic to seafood. Can we switch to something else?”

Just then, Lu Chenfeng and Yuan Zhiqing walked over, holding a brand-new mission card.

“Wait!” Luo Xiaoxiao stretched out a desperate hand.

Lu Chenfeng turned. “What?”

“Why is your mission card different from mine?” Did they not have to eat seafood?

Luo Xiaoxiao caught a glimpse of the seafood prices out of the corner of her eye—king crab at 8888, small lobster at 299, and giant lobster at 999.

Seafood assassin—no wonder people get allergic reactions!

Where exactly were they headed?

“Shuangshuang, Xiaoxiao!”

Ye Zhao and Qin Heya appeared, holding mission cards identical to those in Yuan Zhiqing’s hands.

Li Fanshuang and Luo Xiaoxiao immediately exchanged glances—something was off.

Seemed like Sun Lei had dug another pit for them.

“Senior Ye, what you’re holding is…” Li Fanshuang’s gaze fixed on the mission card in Ye Zhao’s hand, but the golden surface reflected light, making it impossible to read.

Ye Zhao didn’t hide anything and generously shared the card with them.

Luo Xiaoxiao took a look—it was a farm mission: catch whatever you can in a ring toss game and eat it.

“Just pay a 50-yuan processing fee per person.” Li Fanshuang’s eyes lit up as she read this—seemed like heaven wouldn’t completely shut them out.

“Ring toss game.” Luo Xiaoxiao frowned slightly and glanced at the group. “Any of you have experience with this?”

Everyone shook their heads. Zhu Yuxin and Lu Yu looked utterly clueless, exchanging blank stares before turning to Luo Xiaoxiao. “What even is that?”

A flicker of genuine envy flashed in Luo Xiaoxiao’s eyes—so this was how rich kids grew up?

Still, she couldn’t help but pity them a little. Never even played ring toss before?

“I’ve played it before, don’t worry,” Lu Chenfeng said gently to Yuan Zhiqing beside him.

Yuan Zhiqing hummed in response. Oh no, this doctor was kind of attractive… but…

Her mind was still foggy. The last time they’d spoken, she hadn’t been in her right state.

Luo Xiaoxiao was dying to dig into their drama. She silently prayed that shameless Sun Lei would set up another truth-or-dare game—she wanted the tea.

The group drove in a grand procession to the mission farm, only to freeze in shock the moment they arrived.

Chickens, ducks, fish—all kinds of creatures were there. But why were they all wandering freely around the farm?

“Hello!” Sun Lei stood waiting for them in front of the farmhouse. “Each team can now collect your rings. Whatever you catch, you eat.”

They stared at the 20 rings per person laid out before him. What could they possibly catch with these?

Turning back to the stampeding animals, unless a rabbit decided to kamikaze into a post…

Thud—

A gray wild rabbit slammed headfirst into a wooden stake right in front of them.

Everyone: This counts?!

While the group was still stunned, Lu Chenfeng had already made his move, swiftly tossing a ring over the rabbit.

“Wow!” Yuan Zhiqing clapped excitedly. “You’re amazing!”

Luo Xiaoxiao scoffed. Just luck.

Ye Zhao and Qin Heya then went to try their luck.

Lu Yu and Zhu Yuxin didn’t pester Luo Xiaoxiao anymore and set off on their own.

Mainly because Luo Xiaoxiao had said, “I’ll cover your 50-yuan processing fee.” That was all it took for them to scamper away happily.

“We’re not exactly rolling in money either,” Li Fanshuang murmured, concerned about their finances. “And could this mission clash with our previous one?”

“What’s wrong?” Luo Xiaoxiao sensed her hesitation. “Are you talking about the seafood?”

Li Fanshuang took out the basic mission card again. “Look, it clearly states that we must sample local specialties to complete the task.”

A sly fox-like smile curled at Luo Xiaoxiao’s lips as her gaze lingered on the aquaculture farm behind the farmer, where rows of freshly harvested seafood lay on the shore.

“Let’s go over there.”

The aquaculture farm had neatly arranged cages, organized into over twenty rows based on size and value.

Closest to them were rows of inexpensive small fish and loaches.

But Luo Xiaoxiao’s eyes were fixed on the last few rows—abalone, lobsters, king crabs!

Luo Xiaoxiao must have been truly hungry. Spotting a cage of abalone, she tossed a ring—Whoosh—and the abalone was hers.

Watching her technique, the farmer chuckled. “Go ahead, keep trying.”

Noticing the amusement in his eyes and the twenty rings Li Fanshuang handed her, Luo Xiaoxiao asked, “Boss, are you sure you want me to continue? What if you lose money?”

“Impossible!” His voice rose slightly before he caught himself and politely gestured. “Go ahead, young lady!”

Luo Xiaoxiao blinked: You asked for it.

She didn’t hold back—she was hungry enough to devour an entire cow.

Another ring—king crab! Then another—lobster!

The farmer’s jaw dropped. By the time Luo Xiaoxiao used up her rings, he was nearly in tears. “No! You can’t keep going!”

“Why not?!” Luo Xiaoxiao frowned. “You said I could play freely. Are you a sore loser?”

After a moment’s thought, the farmer glanced at Li Fanshuang. “You have to use your own rings. You can’t help her.”

Luo Xiaoxiao smacked her forehead. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I already used hers—these last ones were mine.”

“Exactly! I can vouch for that!” Lu Yu suddenly appeared, raising her hand enthusiastically in support.

Luo Xiaoxiao shot her a look—this freeloader was back for more.

Lu Yu’s expression screamed: Don’t worry, Xiaoxiao, I’m here to save you. Just share some of your lunch with me.

Luo Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth. This was robbery!

Li Fanshuang stepped closer. “Just give them some. Weren’t you allergic to seafood anyway?”

“Who said I was allergic?” Luo Xiaoxiao huffed.

Li Fanshuang froze, staring at her in disbelief. Didn’t you just say that?

Luo Xiaoxiao scoffed. “See? You don’t understand me at all.”

Pouting, she added, “You didn’t even realize I was being sarcastic.”

Li Fanshuang was speechless—she genuinely hadn’t caught on. So earlier, it was because…

Ah, it must have been about the price.

Still, Li Fanshuang had a point—they already had plenty of seafood.

“Fine, we’ve got enough. Too much seafood isn’t good for you—it causes internal heat.”

“Really?” Lu Yu protested. “Not for me! I’ve loved seafood since I was a kid.”

Damn it, why don’t I have this skill?

Zhu Yuxin tried several times but could only manage to snag some seaweed—everything else eluded her grasp.

Thus, the two of them came to a profound realization: if they wanted to eat their fill on this show, they could only rely on the legendary Luo Xiaoxiao.

When Luo Xiaoxiao and Li Fanshuang returned to the farm, they were surprised to find that Ye Zhao and Qin Heya had managed to get their hands on a chicken.

This was an unexpected boon.

Qin Heya immediately walked over enthusiastically upon seeing Luo Xiaoxiao.

“Xiaoxiao, we just asked—if we cook ourselves, the farm owner will only charge us a processing fee, 10 yuan per person.”

“Really?” Luo Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up, and she rolled up her sleeves, ready to get to work.

Meanwhile, Ye Zhao noticed the handful of rings still in Li Fanshuang’s hand. “Didn’t you guys win anything?”

“We did.”

As soon as Luo Xiaoxiao spoke, the staff brought over her earlier spoils—a massive pile of seafood, enough to feed four or five people without issue.

Lu Chenfeng spotted the bounty from afar and approached with Yuan Zhiqing in tow.

“There’s so much here—you can’t possibly finish it all. How about I help out, and we can all save some money together?” Lu Chenfeng’s suggestion sounded reasonable.

But the late-arriving Lu Yu wasn’t having it. On the surface, it seemed like a fair proposal, but upon closer thought, all this food was won by Luo Xiaoxiao—why should they share it? What was in it for them?

She had to grovel for ages before Luo Xiaoxiao agreed to give her some. What made them so special? Just because they were teamed up with a scheming flirt?

“Ah…” Yuan Zhiqing tugged at Lu Chenfeng’s sleeve. “Let’s just drop it. I think Professor Luo isn’t happy.”

Her gaze drifted meaningfully toward Li Fanshuang. “If I were Professor Li, I’d probably be frustrated—having such a domineering Omega.”

Wow. Luo Xiaoxiao’s lips twitched.

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing!

Just as she was about to fire back, Li Fanshuang grabbed her arm.

“Sweetheart, calm down.”

Luo Xiaoxiao’s fiery temper instantly deflated. Her wife didn’t want her to escalate?

“Lu Chenfeng and I are friends, after all,” Li Fanshuang sighed. “As much as I hate to admit it, we were really close in high school.”

Fine. Luo Xiaoxiao got it—she wasn’t doing this for that scheming woman’s sake, but for Lu Chenfeng’s.

Reluctantly, Luo Xiaoxiao agreed.

But this concession was purely under Li Fanshuang’s pressure—she still wasn’t happy about it.

She snatched the remaining rings from Li Fanshuang’s hand. “With this many people eating, there’s no way this is enough.”

Forget the others—she wouldn’t even have enough for herself.

“How much more do you need?” Yuan Zhiqing looked incredulous. An Omega eating so much was already unusual, and now all this food still wasn’t enough?

“You’re not planning to rope in a whole cow, are you?” Zhu Yuxin asked.

Luo Xiaoxiao scoffed and casually tossed a ring toward one of the farm owner’s cows.

The ring traced a perfect arc through the air before landing neatly on the cow’s horn.

“No way! Does that count as mine?”

Luo Xiaoxiao turned excitedly to the camera crew. Sun Lei cleared his throat. “By the rules, yes, it does.”

“Then I won’t hold back!” With that, Luo Xiaoxiao grabbed a large cleaver and strode toward the cow.

Just as the blade was about to descend upon the cow’s neck, the farmer’s voice rang out from nearby, “Spare the cow!”

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, the farmer rushed over and hugged his calf.

“Moo~” The calf nuzzled against its owner.

With a pleading expression, the farmer begged Luo Xiaoxiao, “Teacher, this is just a young calf. You can’t kill it.”

“I don’t care. I’m hungry,” Luo Xiaoxiao insisted.

The farmer steeled himself and offered, “How about this? If everyone doesn’t mind, I’ll provide unlimited beef hotpot for everyone.”

“That won’t do! I want it alive! Fresh!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Luo Xiaoxiao raised the cleaver again.

“Teacher! It’s free, no tricks, no charge!”

“You should’ve said so earlier.” Luo Xiaoxiao drove the cleaver into a nearby wooden stump with a thud.

Duang—

After the loud impact, the faint glint of the blade was still visible to everyone.

“Oh, right!” Luo Xiaoxiao waved at Ye Zhao. “Professor Ye, let me bleed your chicken for you.”

Ye Zhao: What do you mean, my chicken?

“Cluck cluck cluck… caw—”

A pitiful shriek later, the poor rooster had its throat slit.

Luo Xiaoxiao collected the chicken bl00d.

Everyone’s eyes fell on the rooster’s unclosed eyes.

It seemed to say: Wasn’t the deal to use a chicken knife, not a cow cleaver?

Seeing this, Yuan Zhiqing burst into tears. “The chicken is so pitiful. Why do we have to eat it? Don’t we have enough food already?”

Exactly, Luo Xiaoxiao is so cruel!

 

Zhiqing is so kind. Let’s protect our Zhiqing!

 

Damn, are you people insane? Do you know how much work goes into preparing this stuff? Xiaoxiao has to cook and take care of everyone. Just wait and see—this Yuan Zhiqing is crying over the chicken now, but she’ll be eating it later.

 

I don’t believe it. Zhiqing is a good person, the kindest Omega!

For lunch, Luo Xiaoxiao opted for the quickest method—hotpot.

The group enjoyed seafood and beef hotpot, and Luo Xiaoxiao also made spicy chicken.

At first, Yuan Zhiqing stared at the plate of spicy chicken with resolve, unwilling to ruin her carefully crafted image.

But the dish smelled irresistible.

The aroma seemed to force its way into her nostrils.

“Want to try some?” Lu Chenfeng couldn’t stand it anymore. Yuan Zhiqing wasn’t naturally gentle—why put on such an exhausting act?

Yuan Zhiqing turned her head away, feigning reluctance. “I said I can’t eat it.”

As her mouth opened, Luo Xiaoxiao shoved a bite of spicy chicken into it.

“How is it?” Luo Xiaoxiao asked expressionlessly.

Yuan Zhiqing’s eyes lit up like a cat savoring a delicious fish treat. She nodded involuntarily. “Delicious.”

“So good.”

Damn, how tasty is that stuff to make this old hypocrite drop the act?

 

How could this be? My Zhiqing wouldn’t do this!

 

Now that’s a real, normal person.

Luo Xiaoxiao scoffed. “A colleague’s kid joined us for a roast lamb dinner during the New Year. He was eating happily when I asked him, ‘Do you know what you’re eating?'”

Everyone looked up.

Luo Xiaoxiao continued, “I told him, ‘You’re eating Pleasant Goat.'”

“And then?” Lu Yu popped a piece of lobster into her mouth.

With amusement in her eyes, Luo Xiaoxiao said, “He burst into tears, saying Pleasant Goat was his best friend.”

“That’s really mean!” Yuan Zhiqing condemned Luo Xiaoxiao’s behavior between bites.

Luo Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. “Finally, I asked him if it tasted good. Guess what he said?”

No one spoke, all eyes turning to Yuan Zhiqing, who was happily munching on spicy chicken.

“Why are you all looking at me?” Yuan Zhiqing asked, popping another piece of chicken into her mouth. “This is delicious. You should try some.”

Luo Xiaoxiao pointed at her. “That’s exactly what the kid said.”

HAHAHA!

 

Xiaoxiao is such a villain, LOL!

The live chat exploded with laughter.

The crew members stifled their giggles.

Sun Lei, holding the crew’s boxed lunch, craned his neck to look at their table full of delicacies. “That looks amazing.”

“Director, do you want the chicken leg?” an assistant asked, holding his own boxed lunch.

Without turning his head, Sun Lei kept his eyes fixed on the guests’ table. “No.”

“Great!” The assistant promptly snatched the chicken leg from Sun Lei’s box with his chopsticks.

“You little—!” Sun Lei tried to reclaim it, but the assistant had already vanished.

Damn it! Sun Lei had thought they’d only manage to gather some seaweed at most. Who knew they’d be this impressive?

Maybe I should make the afternoon tasks more challenging, Sun Lei thought. Were the tasks I set too easy?

As if sensing his mischief, Luo Xiaoxiao shot him a glare.

Sun Lei chuckled awkwardly. “Take your time, Professor Luo.”

Only then did Luo Xiaoxiao look away.

Never mind, Sun Lei thought. Luo Xiaoxiao’s glare was colder than the butcher’s knife she’d used earlier. He was no match for her.

By the time they set out in the afternoon, it was already past two.

Luo Xiaoxiao and Li Fanshuang of the Passionate Coast team returned to the beach.

“Your task is to reenact a classic scene from Professor Li’s work.”

“From me?” Li Fanshuang was stunned. Her classic work—and it had to do with the sea?

Her memory flashed back to eight years ago, to the beach where she’d filmed Night Harbor.

“Professor Li, I’m sure you’re very familiar with this scene, right?”

Li Fanshuang nodded.

The staff member turned to Luo Xiaoxiao. “I assume Professor Luo has seen it too? It’s one of Professor Li’s classics.”

Luo Xiaoxiao froze. What was this?

How could she have seen anything from this world? Li Fanshuang, an award-winning actress, had starred in countless films. How was she supposed to know which one this was?

“Your task is to perform a scene where, after a confrontation on the beach, the two characters share a desperate kiss—one a police officer, the other an undercover agent…”

Luo Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes slightly as she listened, relaxing a little when she realized there was a script.

After speaking, the prop team nearby had the props ready, placing two toy guns into their hands.

Li Fanshuang immediately pointed the gun at Luo Xiaoxiao’s head upon receiving it. “Where’s what I asked for?”

A scene from a famous classic flashed through Luo Xiaoxiao’s mind. She turned to face Li Fanshuang, the tension between them palpable, with barely a foot of distance separating them.

“What I want—you might not have brought it.”

Li Fanshuang scoffed lightly, a disdainful smile curling at the corner of her lips. “What do you mean…”

“Give me a chance.” Luo Xiaoxiao’s gaze turned pleading. “I never had a choice before, but now I want to be a good person.”

Luo Xiaoxiao also raised her gun, pointing it at Li Fanshuang with an expression of complex emotions—both wary and beseeching.

Li Fanshuang sneered, “Go tell that to the judge! See if he’ll let you be a good person!”

“Then shoot me!” Luo Xiaoxiao screamed in despair, her eyes reddening at the corners as she stared hopelessly at the person denying her this chance.

Li Fanshuang’s gaze sharpened, all mockery vanishing. “Sorry, I’m a cop.”

“So, you won’t pull the trigger? I will!”

A gunshot rang out.

Luo Xiaoxiao’s slender figure crumpled to the ground.

“Xiaoxiao!”

Holstering her weapon, Li Fanshuang rushed forward and gathered Luo Xiaoxiao into her arms.

“No!”

Trembling, Li Fanshuang grabbed the nearby gun and checked the magazine in horror. “Your gun wasn’t loaded! Why would you do this?”

“Don’t you understand?” Luo Xiaoxiao lay weakly in Li Fanshuang’s embrace, her breathing ragged. She wasn’t acting—yet she was still in character.

Perhaps this was her only chance to confess her true feelings to Li Fanshuang.

“I was so foolish… I thought your gun was empty like mine. Li Fanshuang, I’ve lost. Maybe I was never meant to win.”

“Xiaoxiao?” Li Fanshuang’s lips trembled as scalding tears fell onto Luo Xiaoxiao’s face.

Despair and confusion overwhelmed her.

Luo Xiaoxiao raised a shaking hand to wipe those tears away, but her strength failed her.

Li Fanshuang caught her hand. “You’ll be fine.”

“Take my body back. You’ll get promoted.”

“No!” Li Fanshuang’s voice shook.

Gazing into her eyes, Luo Xiaoxiao traced Li Fanshuang’s features with her look. “If only… I could have been the one to stay by your side.”

Her hand fell limp, silent as the sand behind her dissolving into the sea.

Only the crashing waves remained.

“Cut—”

The scene ended.

Who was truly acting? And who was living the role?