The Black Lotus Wife Forces Me to Pretend to Be an Omega. - Chapter 42

Li Fanshuang was feeling rather gloomy. She stared blankly at the script in her hands—lines she had long since “tamed” now inexplicably felt awkward and clumsy on her tongue today.

“My dear Shuangshuang, what’s wrong with you?” Chen Yu sat down beside her and snatched the script from her hands. “Your problem right now isn’t the script.”

Chen Yu’s action snapped Li Fanshuang back to reality.

She straightened up, composed herself, and said irritably, “What are you doing?”

“What am I doing?” Chen Yu snorted. “Look at you—every time you make eye contact with Fu Xinting, you zone out. That shouldn’t be happening. You’re Li Fanshuang! Did you two have some kind of falling out?”

Li Fanshuang averted her gaze guiltily. She didn’t mean to, but she kept losing focus whenever she faced Fu Xinting.

Just the thought that this woman might be a “strategist” made Li Fanshuang deeply uncomfortable.

“My dear, now’s not the time for this. You know how tricky the situation is, but I’ve already talked to Fu Xinting. To keep things moving, we can have your wife be her full-time stand-in.”

The term “full-time stand-in” made Li Fanshuang instinctively frown. It didn’t sound like a good thing at all.

She looked up at Chen Yu, silently wondering—was this some kind of system mission? The phrasing was just too bizarre.

“That’s not what we call it in the film industry, is it?” Li Fanshuang probed.

Chen Yu paused, her expression freezing for a moment. Right—that wasn’t the usual term.

“Well…” Chen Yu pursed her lips, a strange feeling flickering through her. After a long pause, she shook her head. “Ugh, this Fu Xinting—why did she have to come up with such a weird term?”

Li Fanshuang raised an eyebrow. So, she was right—this was Fu Xinting’s own invention.

Good thing she’d been cautious.

Ding-ding—

The exclusive notification tone for Weibo friends chimed.

Li Fanshuang opened the app with a faint smile.

Big Laugh: I’m telling you, my wife seems mad at me. Was it because I left without saying anything this morning? I had urgent business! She won’t even reply to my WeChat messages. ┭┮﹏┭┮

Seeing Luo Xiaoxiao’s message, Li Fanshuang’s lips curled up involuntarily. So this jerk finally realized she’d messed up.

Most of Li Fanshuang’s bad mood stemmed from Luo Xiaoxiao’s sudden disappearance.

At first, she thought Luo Xiaoxiao had just gone for a workout and would return soon to join her on set. But after waiting all morning, all she got was a cold WeChat message:

“Gotta go train.”

And that was it.

Seeing such an impersonal message first thing in the morning had spiked Li Fanshuang’s bl00d pressure.

Not even a proper subject or predicate—just thinking about it made her grit her teeth in frustration.

“Tsk tsk tsk.” Chen Yu looked at her ever-changing expressions with disdain, arms crossed. “Did you fight with your wife? That’s why you’re so sensitive. Look at you now—acting like a lovestruck teenage girl. Li Fanshuang, don’t forget you’re not young anymore. Haven’t you ever been in love before?”

Li Fanshuang raised an eyebrow, shifting uncomfortably as her fingers flew across the keyboard. Without looking up, she muttered, “If acting counts, then I have.”

Nan Jiu: I don’t think your wife is that petty. Are you worried about her?

Big Laugh: Yeah, do you think that person is really a strategist? I’m worried about my wife—she’s so naive…

This was followed by Luo Xiaoxiao’s lengthy monologue, in her mind, Li Fanshuang was the most innocent woman.

Seeing her like this, Chen Yu rolled her eyes and abruptly stood up. “I suggest you talk it out with your wife properly. Given the current situation, there’s no hope for your scenes with Fu Xinting. But speaking of which, it’s really strange… Fu Xinting’s acting is flawless, yet something feels off…”

As she spoke, Chen Yu’s gaze fell on Fu Xinting in front of the camera. This was a scene from Zhi Yu’s expedition, where the princess didn’t appear.

Chen Yu didn’t know how to evaluate it. Fu Xinting’s performance was technically perfect, yet it felt like something was missing. But to say she acted poorly would be unfair—it was textbook-level acting.

Wait.

Chen Yu chuckled. No wonder it felt uncomfortable—it was like watching a performance straight out of a textbook. Rigid and by-the-book, as if she had no personal understanding of the character.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” Li Fanshuang suddenly whispered in Chen Yu’s ear.

Chen Yu jumped in surprise, nearly leaping back when she realized how close Li Fanshuang was. “Goodness! What are you doing?! You scared me to death!”

She quickly put distance between them. “Don’t do that again.”

Li Fanshuang crossed her arms and calmly stood beside her, also watching Fu Xinting. “Don’t you find it odd? I always feel like she’s not herself.”

Just like when Li Fanshuang had worked with Fu Xinting before, her performances always carried traces of other actors. When she played the refined female scholar role, she mirrored Ye Zhao’s style. Later, in a strong female lead role, she imitated Qin Heya’s mannerisms.

Of course, she had her own flair too.

Having been in the industry for so long, Li Fanshuang knew it was normal for actors to occasionally emulate outstanding performers. But if someone’s acting style kept changing drastically, that wasn’t right.

Last night, Luo Xiaoxiao’s words under her pseudonym resurfaced in Li Fanshuang’s mind—this person had a system and a mission.

Thinking back, when Fu Xinting first met her, her acting hadn’t been this heavily imitative.

“Look, her acting style is more suited for theater and stage plays—it comes across as exaggerated in film and TV dramas, yet her delivery is full of emotion,” Chen Yu sighed, feeling somewhat uneasy.

This was someone sent in by the investors, and she couldn’t very well refuse.

Li Fanshuang leaned in again and whispered, “Tell me, which investor sent this person? I promise I won’t spill.”

Could it be another female lead I don’t even know about?

Li Fanshuang scoffed inwardly. Regardless of what backing Fu Xinting had, if she was connected to that so-called “other female lead,” then this fool wasn’t worth keeping anyway.

Chen Yu wore a troubled expression. “It’s not that I won’t tell you—I genuinely don’t know.”

“What?” Li Fanshuang cursed the old fox in her heart. As the director, you don’t know? That’s just nonsense.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Xiao Yu! I was wondering who looked so familiar.”

A slightly mocking voice rang out from nearby.

Li Fanshuang turned her head and saw yet another familiar face.

“Director Qi,” she greeted Qi Fangyou with utmost respect.

Qi Fangyou chuckled. “Award-winning Actress Li, I’ve got something to discuss with you.”

Li Fanshuang frowned. Qi Fangyou was known for directing action films, and she’d heard the director had a promising IP in hand—something Li Fanshuang had never tried before.

But to her surprise, Qi Fangyou had outright dismissed her, saying, “My set isn’t for delicate little Alphas.”

That one remark had crushed Li Fanshuang’s hopes, and she assumed their paths would never cross again.

“Let me handle this, sis!”

Soon after, Qi Fangzuo also approached.

Seemed the siblings were filming nearby.

Qi Fangyou was infamous in the industry as a film fanatic, and her brother was no slouch either—a nationally renowned martial arts actor and professional action star.

“You two…” Chen Yu started to say something, but noticing how Qi Fangyou’s gaze lingered on Li Fanshuang, a bad feeling crept into her heart.

“Listen up! Li Fanshuang is my actress now, got it? No funny business! You action directors better not poach from my crew!”

As Chen Yu’s words hung in the air, silence fell over the group.

Li Fanshuang was the first to break it. “You came to offer me a role? But right now, I—”

Before she could finish, Qi Fangyou cut in with a disdainful look. “Forget it. With those delicate arms and legs of yours, you’re better off staying in Chen Yu’s crew.”

“Then why…?” Chen Yu narrowed her eyes, suspicion rising. If not for Li Fanshuang, then who?

Her pupils suddenly constricted as her gaze landed on Fu Xinting. “You’re here for this trash?”

Chen Yu had no love for Fu Xinting—the investor’s puppet who made her feel shackled on set.

If Qi Fangyou could take this nuisance off her hands, that would be good news indeed.

At that thought, Chen Yu’s expression brightened, and a hint of eagerness crept onto her face.

“I knew it! Director Qi has taken a liking to our other female lead?”

Qi Fangyou frowned, following her gaze to Fu Xinting standing nearby.

“What’s going on? This caliber?” Qi Fangyou felt personally insulted.

An actor like this would absolutely get beaten to death by her brother if they joined her production.

“What kind of taste do you people have?” Qi Fangzuo couldn’t take it anymore, “This frail-looking thing could never join our crew. We came for one purpose only – Li Fanshuang’s wife.”

“My wife?” Li Fanshuang frowned. When did Luo Xiaoxiao get acquainted with the Qi family?

Qi Fangyou nodded excitedly, her eyes gleaming.

“We’ve taken a fancy to Actress Li’s wife. Let me tell you, she actually dodged my brother’s bottle!”

“What nonsense?” Li Fanshuang was confused. What bottle? What brush?

At this point, Qi Fangzuo’s face showed slight embarrassment.

“Well… we had some unpleasantness with Professor Luo during this morning’s shoot,” Qi Fangzuo said sheepishly, an odd blush appearing on his face.

The sight of this burly man acting bashful made everyone’s lips twitch. Li Fanshuang felt particularly exasperated – everyone in the industry knew about Qi Fangzuo’s preferences.

Holy sh1t!

Li Fanshuang thought this was beyond ridiculous. Did this guy somehow discover Xiaoxiao’s true gender?

Shaking off goosebumps, Li Fanshuang continued, “Xiaoxiao doesn’t have time. She’s in training.”

“Training?” Qi Fangyou looked puzzled, “What kind of production requires training? Have standards gotten this high?”

Li Fanshuang rolled her eyes, “No, she’s training for freestyle fighting. Apparently she entered some competition.”

This revelation stunned not just the Qi siblings, but even Chen Yu standing nearby.

“Your wife… does boxing?” Chen Yu said incredulously.

Li Fanshuang nodded, “Yeah.”

“What? An Omega who likes boxing?” Chen Yu felt the world had gained another unbelievable phenomenon.

This comment rubbed people the wrong way.

Before Li Fanshuang could retort,

Qi Fangzuo spoke first: “Since when can’t Omegas box? There’s no law against it!”

Chen Yu broke into cold sweat under the intimidating glare of this hulking man who looked ready to devour her.

I was wrong! I’ll never speak carelessly again! Please don’t eat me!

Qi Fangyou gave her dear brother an exasperated look.

She then offered Li Fanshuang and Chen Yu an apologetic smile, “Sorry about that. My brother didn’t mean it that way. You know how… sensitive he is about these topics.”

Chen Yu swallowed hard, nodding like a pecking chick – yes yes, whatever you say, I wouldn’t dare argue.

Though she had plenty more thoughts, one glance at Qi Fangzuo made her seal her lips shut again.

Li Fanshuang sighed, remembering how Luo Xiaoxiao had rejected her before, “I’d advise you to give up. She wouldn’t even agree to act alongside me.”

“Why wouldn’t she do it?” Chen Yu questioned. “She acted so well—she’s exactly the Yu Zhi I imagined, way better than certain people.”

After throwing in a couple of veiled jabs, Chen Yu felt a twinge of relief. Thankfully, Fu Xinting hadn’t overheard. If the investors found out and decided to pull their funding, what then?

Li Fanshuang caught Chen Yu’s guilty expression and couldn’t help but wonder—what was this person thinking? If you’re too scared to say it outright, why say it at all?

“Right?” Qi Fangyou’s eyes lit up at Chen Yu’s words. She had initially assumed Luo Xiaoxiao was only skilled with her hands and lacked acting chops.

But with Chen Yu’s endorsement, she couldn’t possibly be bad.

Li Fanshuang scoffed. “That depends on who she’s acting opposite. Besides, she’s naturally perfect for this role.”

Qi Fangyou didn’t press further. She knew Li Fanshuang’s acting skills well—they just didn’t align with her own style.

“So, when can we meet your wife?” Qi Fangyou continued.

Li Fanshuang clicked her tongue. “I think you should give up. She won’t agree.”

A flicker of irritation crossed her mind. When she had invited Luo Xiaoxiao, the woman had refused without hesitation. There was no way she’d accept the Qi family’s offer.

But every time she thought that, the memory of Luo Xiaoxiao apprehending that human trafficker flashed through her mind.

Maybe she just preferred action films?

“Darling, I’m home.”

Just then, Luo Xiaoxiao’s voice rang out.

Li Fanshuang looked up in surprise at her sudden appearance. “Weren’t you going to train? Why are you back so early?”

Luo Xiaoxiao sighed. “I got the time wrong. My session with the coach is the day after tomorrow.”

“You hired a coach?” Qi Fangzuo sneered. “Let me tell you, there isn’t a more professional trainer in all of Fancheng than me. If you agree to help my sister and me with our film, I’ll personally train you.”

Luo Xiaoxiao glanced at the tall man out of the corner of her eye before turning away. “Oh, a gay guy.”

Qi Fangzuo’s face instantly flushed red, his demeanor turning bashful and coy.

“I—how did you know I’m a—”

Li Fanshuang frowned and tugged Luo Xiaoxiao away from him. “You should stay away from him.”

Luo Xiaoxiao nodded seriously. “Don’t worry, darling. I’m a delicate little Omega, after all.”

Delicate?

Qi Fangzuo paused, recalling their encounter that morning. She called that delicate?

Ridiculous!

He decided not to waste any more time and dropped into a fighting stance, ready to challenge her.

Luo Xiaoxiao snorted. “What’s this? You wanna fight?”

“Yeah!” Qi Fangzuo growled. “Bring it on!”

The two locked eyes, the tension between them instantly escalating.

Li Fanshuang tugged worriedly at Luo Xiaoxiao’s sleeve. “Xiaoxiao, maybe let it go. Qi Fangzuo is a Wuying-level actor—he’s got real skills.”

Oh? Luo Xiaoxiao’s eyes gleamed. She had been about to refuse, but Li Fanshuang’s words piqued her interest.

“Since that’s the case…” Luo Xiaoxiao curled her lips and reached out towards Qi Fangzuo. “Pay up first. I charge for beating people up.”

That was the rule. Otherwise, why would Luo Xiaoxiao, a professional athlete, agree to fight someone? This wasn’t a friendly spar—it was outright brawling.

Qi Fangzuo’s expression changed, momentarily confused. “Why should I pay you?”

Luo Xiaoxiao glared at the clueless man before her, irritation rising. “What do you mean? What kind of person do you take me for? Some street thug? This is assault! I’m a legitimate competition athlete.”

As she launched into her tirade, Qi Fangzuo’s movements gradually faltered.

Chen Yu snorted and leaned in to whisper to Li Fanshuang, “Now that your wife is back, can we finally shoot your scenes together?” Without realizing it, Chen Yu had already cast Luo Xiaoxiao in the role of Zhiyu.

“Sure.”

Li Fanshuang shrugged and took Luo Xiaoxiao’s hand. “Come on, let’s go film.”

Luo Xiaoxiao pouted, shooting Chen Yu a dissatisfied glance before muttering under her breath, “You still owe me from last time.”

Li Fanshuang chuckled helplessly and reassured her, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she pays you properly—not a single payment missed.”

Hearing this, Chen Yu immediately chimed in, “Relax, I’ve already discussed it with Li Fanshuang. One scene is…”

“100!” Luo Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up. This was way more than what part-time jobs paid in her previous world. Plus, acting opposite Li Fanshuang was incredibly easy.

“What kind of production is this? Paying such ridiculous wages?” Qi Fangyou couldn’t hold back. “Zhiyu’s Court” was a major IP, and Luo Xiaoxiao had zero acting experience—at most, she’d be an extra here. So the production only paid 100 yuan per scene for stand-ins?

Luo Xiaoxiao raised a hand to cut her off. “I think it’s perfectly fine.”

Li Fanshuang gazed at Luo Xiaoxiao’s profile, her lips curving into a warm smile as she reached for her hand again.

“Let’s go get you changed.”

Li Fanshuang remembered her own early days in the industry, when her Alpha mother had opposed her entering showbiz. Back then, she’d been completely on her own, working as an extra for 30 or 50 yuan per scene if she was lucky—sometimes scoring a boxed meal if fortune smiled.

Later, she’d become a stand-in for another actor at 100 yuan per scene, which had felt like a fortune. The look in Luo Xiaoxiao’s eyes just now had mirrored her own back then.

After the pair left, Chen Yu was speechless.

“How romantic,” Qi Fangyou murmured dreamily, watching their retreating figures with hearts practically floating in her eyes.

Chen Yu’s lip twitched. Sharing an industry with such a hopeless romantic was downright embarrassing. Weren’t Qi Fangyou’s films all action-packed? Since when did she ship couples?

“Don’t tell me you’re trying to steal my market now?” Chen Yu asked warily.

Qi Fangyou shot her a glance before lifting her chin haughtily. “Hardly. I have zero interest in saccharine romance fluff.”

With that, she prepared to leave with Qi Fangzuo in tow.

But the big oaf clearly didn’t want to leave. Since they’d already come all this way, why couldn’t he have a fight with Luo Xiaoxiao?

Chen Yu’s eyes darted around before he turned to Qi Fangyou and the indignant Qi Fangzuo, saying, “How about this—we’re all friends here, and it wasn’t easy for you two to visit my set. Let’s have Xiao Zuo join our big action scene later.”

“Action scene?” Qi Fangyou raised an eyebrow. Well now, this refined-looking crew that seemed focused on political intrigue actually had fight scenes?

Chen Yu nodded proudly, “Of course! We’re filming a historical court intrigue drama, so naturally there are fight scenes. The next scene is precisely where Luo Xiaoxiao encounters an ambush on her way back to Chang’an, fighting desperately while the princess arrives fashionably late.”

Upon hearing he’d have the chance to spar with Luo Xiaoxiao, Qi Fangzuo agreed without hesitation.

“Payment for the cameo,” Qi Fangyou extended her hand toward Chen Yu.

Chen Yu tilted her chin up, occasionally throwing her a disdainful glance. “Do I look like I want to pay you? If you’re unhappy, you’re free to leave!”

Qi Fangyou’s eyes widened—this was truly a scholar meeting a soldier. When had this woman become so shameless?

“Sis, forget it. I just want to give it a try. That move I did earlier—no ordinary person could have dodged it,” Qi Fangzuo said earnestly.

Unable to sway him, Qi Fangyou reluctantly agreed.

“Then we’ll have to trouble you,” she conceded. Her brother was a martial arts fanatic.

He had trained in martial arts and opened a dojo after graduating from wushu school. But with no business sense, it soon collapsed due to financial issues.

Fortunately, his sister Qi Fangyou had an uncanny eye for film investments—every project she backed became a blockbuster. It was as if she was blessed by the god of fortune, overcoming every obstacle to succeed against all odds.

Their lives seemed charmed with smooth sailing.

“But you must hold back when sparring with her!” Qi Fangyou warned sternly, fearing trouble. Her brother had once caused a major incident.

Thankfully, the other party hadn’t pressed charges, or his life might have been ruined.

“Go change into costume then,” Chen Yu gestured behind her, directing Qi Fangzuo to the dressing area.

–

Half an hour later, filming began.

The scale of this scene was grand, and Luo Xiaoxiao felt nervous. When her gaze met Li Fanshuang’s resolute eyes, her confidence wavered.

Seeing this, Chen Yu grew frantic—this was the most crucial and expensive sequence.

Clapping her hands, she called out to Luo Xiaoxiao, “Give it your best, and I’ll bump your pay to 1,000!”

Luo Xiaoxiao: “Deal! You’re on!”