The Black Lotus Wife Forces Me to Pretend to Be an Omega. - Chapter 63

After a rare peaceful Christmas Eve passed, Luo Xiaoxiao stepped into the octagon the next afternoon, her expression serious as she faced her familiar opponent.

Sun Yumeng felt a pang of unease—why did Luo Xiaoxiao seem upset?

Luo Xiaoxiao curled her fingers in a beckoning motion. “Hurry up! I’m on a tight schedule!”

Sun Yumeng nearly laughed in exasperation. You’re in a rush, so you’re rushing me?

“Do you even realize this is a match?”

Before she could finish, the referee signaled the start. Luo Xiaoxiao wasted no time—with a swift sweep of her leg, she knocked Sun Yumeng down.

Shock surged through Sun Yumeng. She knew there was a gap between her skills and Luo Xiaoxiao’s, which was why she had come—to test herself and gauge her own level.

But…

Her eyes narrowed, locking onto Luo Xiaoxiao’s feet. She rolled to the side, dodging just as Luo Xiaoxiao lunged at empty air.

Sun Yumeng watched warily. If Luo Xiaoxiao was in a hurry, she’d drag this out.

For the next three minutes, the two played a game of chase inside the octagon.

“Are they even fighting?”

“What’s the point of this?”

The audience today was larger than usual, most drawn by Luo Xiaoxiao. Unfortunately, the match wasn’t what they’d expected.

Luo Xiaoxiao stared steadily into her opponent’s eyes. So, Sun Yumeng had figured out her strategy and was avoiding direct confrontation.

No matter. Luo Xiaoxiao wasn’t so easily outmaneuvered. She knew Sun Yumeng’s stamina couldn’t match hers—sooner or later, a weakness would show.

Sure enough, barely thirty seconds later, Sun Yumeng was panting heavily.

Only then did she realize—Luo Xiaoxiao had been toying with her.

“Damn it!” She gritted her teeth, but before she could react, Luo Xiaoxiao dropped low and wrapped around one of her legs.

Thud—

Sun Yumeng hit the mat, her arm locked in Luo Xiaoxiao’s grip, leaving her immobilized.

Frustration burned through Sun Yumeng as she slapped the octagon floor repeatedly.

With the referee’s whistle, she conceded. Luo Xiaoxiao took the first round.

Beep—beep—beep—

Time ticked away.

Luo Xiaoxiao walked to her corner, glancing at Min Nanxi outside the cage. “What time is it now?”

“3:10,” Min Nanxi answered, wearing an I-know-that-look expression. “Are you rushing to Li Fanshuang’s event? Are you two really that clingy? Can’t you stand being apart for half a day?”

Luo Xiaoxiao ignored her, shoving her mouthguard back in. She needed to finish this match quickly.

Ding-Ding-ding—

Round two began…

–

Backstage at the event, Li Fanshuang studied her reflection. “This is the look you chose? Where’s Chen Yu?”

It was the exact outfit Song Zifei had worn during her “cold palace” era. Wasn’t this just embarrassing?

The makeup artist kept his head down, not daring to meet her eyes. He stammered for a long moment without forming a complete sentence.

“I-I-I…”

Li Fanshuang frowned. Something felt off—why did his voice sound so mechanical?

“Go get Chen Yu for me,” she said, suppressing her temper.

The makeup artist quickly left the lounge.

The spacious lounge was now empty except for Li Fanshuang.

She stared at the terrible makeup on her face—could this be sabotage from a rival?

But after careful consideration, she realized that since she had started her own studio, she didn’t really have any rivals anymore.

Then she thought of one person—Fu Xinting.

“Damn it!” She angrily threw the script beside her onto the floor, recalling last night’s phone call with Lu Chenfeng.

Lu Chenfeng’s state had grown even more deranged.

“She refuses, Li Fanshuang. Tell me, why does she refuse?”

Li Fanshuang frowned, not understanding what she meant.

She could also hear Yuan Zhiqing’s voice in the background, “I like you.”

“Then why do you still want to leave?” Lu Chenfeng roared like a wild beast.

Yuan Zhiqing’s voice was hoarse, as if she had been crying for a long time. “I have to go home. My parents and little brother are waiting for me.”

Li Fanshuang listened with a furrowed brow—what had that lunatic Lu Chenfeng done to this poor girl?

“Lu Chenfeng?”

She tentatively spoke up, but before she could say anything else, Lu Chenfeng angrily cut her off.

“It’s all because of you!” Lu Chenfeng snarled. “If it weren’t for the female lead, this world wouldn’t be like this.”

Li Fanshuang fell silent for a long moment. Things seemed to be spiraling out of control. Lu Chenfeng’s claim that it was all her fault felt both right and wrong at the same time.

But Li Fanshuang wasn’t the type to spiral into self-doubt over someone else’s words. Her tone turned cold. “If you want to lose it, don’t do it here. Ask Yuan Zhiqing for me—does she also have a system?”

The moment the words left her mouth, the other end of the line went completely silent. After a long pause, Yuan Zhiqing’s voice finally came through.

“I don’t. It’s Fu Xinting. She was the one who drugged you back then. I’m just a puppet of the system…”

The rest of her words were lost—only Yuan Zhiqing’s sobs and whispers remained, ambiguous and broken.

Li Fanshuang had no patience to listen to this right now. She was about to hang up when Luo Xiaoxiao suddenly spoke.

“Lu Chenfeng, if you really love her, don’t you want her family’s blessing? Don’t you want to see her home?”

No response came from the other end. Li Fanshuang almost thought Lu Chenfeng had already hung up.

But after a full five minutes, a heavy sigh echoed through the phone.

“Luo Xiaoxiao, what should I do? She has to die. She has to leave me. What do I do?” Lu Chenfeng broke down into hysterical sobs.

Luo Xiaoxiao had no idea what was happening. She wanted to ask, but all she heard were choked cries and anguished screams.

Finally, Yuan Zhiqing spoke again. “My fate can’t be changed. Because I’m with Lu Chenfeng, my fate has arrived. I’m growing weaker…”

Luo Xiaoxiao couldn’t hear the rest, but she understood.

Because Yuan Zhiqing hadn’t approached Li Fanshuang or completed any mission, she was weakening—fading from this world.

The call ended, and silence settled between Luo Xiaoxiao and Li Fanshuang.

Li Fanshuang stared at the darkened phone screen, afraid to look up and let Luo Xiaoxiao see the tears in her eyes. “What did she mean?”

“I think it’s because of the system,” Luo Xiaoxiao said. “And in my world, I’m already dead.”

Dead? Such a heavy word. It made Li Fanshuang’s heart ache. With reddened eyes, she finally looked up at Luo Xiaoxiao. “How did you…”

The rest of the words stuck in her throat.

Luo Xiaoxiao made a small sound of realization, understanding she was asking about how she died.

Luo Xiaoxiao waved it off casually, “I got run over by a truck! The driver didn’t want to pay compensation and even backed up to run over me a few more times…”

“What?” Li Fanshuang’s pupils contracted sharply. How painful that must have been!

But Luo Xiaoxiao remained nonchalant, “I’m fine now, aren’t I? I’m different from her. Don’t overthink it!”

“Mm.” Li Fanshuang nodded heavily and wrapped her arms around Luo Xiaoxiao’s waist. “What should I do tomorrow? I don’t even know what methods they’ll use against me. I’m still scared about the drugging incident.”

Luo Xiaoxiao’s eyes darkened. “After my competition ends, I’ll come find you. See if you can bring bodyguards to the venue tomorrow?”

“No,” Li Fanshuang shook her head. “The investors will be there tomorrow. Even if I bring bodyguards, they can’t enter the venue.”

“That’s troublesome.” Luo Xiaoxiao pursed her lips, worried they might resort to underhanded tactics.

Li Fanshuang’s identity was extremely sensitive now. If anyone discovered she was an Omega, what would she face?

Luo Xiaoxiao didn’t know, and she didn’t want to speculate about such possibilities.

Li Fanshuang sighed heavily. “Tomorrow, I’ll just stay with Chen Yu and try to avoid getting close to her.”

“That’s all we can do.”

–

Memories of being with Luo Xiaoxiao played in Li Fanshuang’s mind, as if she were still in her embrace.

Where had that Chen Yu gone off to?

She forced herself to shake off that feeling of dependence. Xiaoxiao would come find her after the competition—there was no need to dwell on it.

Knock, knock, knock—

A series of knocks sounded at the door. It was Fu Xinting’s voice.

Alarm bells rang in Li Fanshuang’s mind. Why was she here so early?

Her role had already been cut—at most, she was just here to make an appearance. She didn’t need to change outfits, so why come this early?

Thinking this, Li Fanshuang sat quietly without saying a word, waiting to see what tricks Fu Xinting had up her sleeve.

She patiently tried to listen to the other’s thoughts, but this time, even after Fu Xinting pushed the door open and walked in, she heard nothing.

Li Fanshuang’s heart sank. This wasn’t good. Was this the reason for the system’s upgrade?

Had the system realized someone was eavesdropping on its conversations with Fu Xinting?

Though these thoughts raced through her mind, her expression remained calm and composed.

When Fu Xinting opened the door and saw Li Fanshuang inside, she feigned surprise. “Shuangshuang-jie, you’re here? Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“Whether I’m here or not, entering my dressing room without the owner’s permission is impolite, don’t you think?”

Facing Fu Xinting, Li Fanshuang no longer held back. She felt they were just one step away from tearing off all pretenses.

Fu Xinting’s expression shifted before she finally dropped her false facade.

“I don’t know what you’re being so arrogant about. Is it because you’re the female lead of this book? I wonder what would happen when the female lead encounters a group of Alphas surrounding her?”

Li Fanshuang’s heart skipped a beat. This was bad—it seemed the system had revealed her true gender.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Li Fanshuang played dumb.

Her fingertips dug deep into her palms, turning white from the force as she struggled to remain composed.

Fu Xinting raised an eyebrow. “What are you pretending for? Aren’t you an Alpha too?”

Li Fanshuang’s hands relaxed slightly, leaving faint crescent marks on her palms. It seemed the other party’s system couldn’t directly violate her as the female lead—such as detecting her true gender.

She gave Fu Xinting a cool glance and didn’t engage further, turning to touch up her makeup in the mirror.

Fu Xinting grew irritated at the dismissal. “Then have you considered Luo Xiaoxiao? You might not fear a group of Alphas, but what about her?”

Li Fanshuang’s hand trembled while filling in her eyebrows, nearly ruining the line.

No one else knew Xiaoxiao was coming—had the system already predicted this?

Fu Xinting caught the flicker of tension in her otherwise calm expression and smirked triumphantly. “Just a friendly reminder—your precious darling might be in trouble.”

With that, Fu Xinting left.

Frantic, Li Fanshuang grabbed her phone and switched to the local sports channel. Xiaoxiao’s match had already ended, the screen still lingering on her victorious face.

Checking the time, she realized this wasn’t live—the match had concluded at 3:30. Xiaoxiao should already be on her way.

Li Fanshuang immediately dialed Luo Xiaoxiao.

Ring… ring… ring…

The call went unanswered. Xiaoxiao wasn’t picking up?

Panic crept in, but she forced herself to rationalize—Xiaoxiao must be busy. She tried calling again.

Still no answer.

“Xiaoxiao?” Her composure cracked. Suppressing the urge to rush out searching, she called the police to report her wife missing.

Just then, another knock came at the door.

“Li Fanshuang, are you ready?”

It was Chen Yu!

She opened the door to find an irate Chen Yu standing there.

Seeing Li Fanshuang still in casual clothes, Chen Yu grew even angrier. “The event’s starting soon, and you’re not even dressed?”

“My wife is missing,” Li Fanshuang said coldly.

Chen Yu reined in her impatience. “What happened? Didn’t she have a match today?” Her eyes darted down the hallway before she stepped inside and locked the door.

“Fu Xinting came by earlier and said some strange things.”

Li Fanshuang spilled everything about the threats.

Chen Yu’s expression darkened. “That woman’s a walking legal violation!”

Li Fanshuang bit her lip. “The stadium isn’t far. If Xiaoxiao was coming, she should’ve arrived by now.”

“You think she might’ve been intercepted?” Chen Yu nodded and immediately summoned bodyguards to search the area.

“I hope everything’s fine. Besides, your wife is so capable—how could she be taken down so easily? Hurry up and change your clothes.”

Li Fanshuang stood up, looking at her coldly. “My wife is missing—how could I possibly be in the mood for this?!”

With that, she yanked the door open and left.

“You have to be back before the press conference starts!”

“Whatever!” Li Fanshuang shot back without turning around.

Bang—

The door slammed shut.

Chen Yu stared at the empty dressing room. Well, now Fu Xinting really was going to be the leading lady.

Guess she’ll be making her grand debut at the press conference.

–

Luo Xiaoxiao ran into some trouble on her way—well, more like a whole group of it.

A crowd of towering Alphas surrounded her.

“Boss, is this the pretty boy we’re after?”

“Look at those skinny arms and legs—how many hits can she even take?”

“She’s kinda cute. Even if she’s an Alpha, we could still have some fun with her, right?”

“You got a death wish?!” The “boss” smacked the speaker hard on the head. “Alphas carry diseases!”

He turned to Luo Xiaoxiao. “Little girl, someone paid us to teach you a lesson.”

Luo Xiaoxiao let out an “Oh.” She didn’t even need to think to know who was behind this.

“Fu Xinting, huh?”

“Boss! How’d she know who hired us?!” The lackey gasped.

Another hard smack landed on his head. “You idiot!”

Luo Xiaoxiao nodded. “I wasn’t sure before, but thanks to this kind gentleman for confirming it for me.”

Then, she dropped into a fighting stance, sizing up the dozen or so men in front of her. Calculating quickly, she figured she could take on thirty of them.

“Oho, didn’t expect that—you’ve got some training?”

Luo Xiaoxiao didn’t answer, but to them, her silence just looked like forced bravado.

The boss waved his hand. “Go!”

Three men stepped forward.

Luo Xiaoxiao frowned. “Wait!”

“Ha! The little girl’s scared now,” the same idiot from earlier sneered.

Luo Xiaoxiao raised a finger and wagged it. “Three at a time is a waste of my time. Come at me all at once.”

The words hung in the air, and the boss wondered if he’d heard wrong.

His men weren’t about to back down. The three charged at her.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

None of them even saw how she moved before they were all on the ground, groaning.

The idiot patted the boss’s arm. “Boss, this girl’s got something weird going on.”

“Agh—”

“It hurts!”

The men writhed on the ground, unable to get up. The boss couldn’t believe someone as delicate-looking as Luo Xiaoxiao could hit so hard.

“All of you—go!”

At that, Luo Xiaoxiao stopped holding back. She tossed her bag aside.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The rest of them were soon sprawled on the floor, leaving only the boss and the idiot standing.

The boss was stunned. He smacked the idiot’s head. “You go too.”

“Boss, you think I’m stupid? Why don’t you go?”

“Because I’m the boss!”

“I’m the strategist—I don’t do this violent stuff!”

“Hey!” Luo Xiaoxiao had lost her patience and beckoned them over.

“Boss, she’s calling you.”

“No, she’s calling you!”

Luo Xiaoxiao snapped, “I’m calling both of you!”

The two stiffened, then shuffled toward her like puppets on strings.

Luo Xiaoxiao slung an arm over one person’s shoulder. “Tell your backer that next time, don’t use such low-level tactics. It’s boring.”

“Actually, that’s not what she said,” the fool interjected.

Luo Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow but didn’t interrupt, signaling for him to continue.

The leader cut in, “What are you doing? In our line of work, we operate on honor.”

Luo Xiaoxiao scoffed and slapped him across the face. “Oh, so you’re the honorable type, huh?”

“Damn right!”

“Then do you realize you’ve already broken the law? Based on your actions just now, care to guess how many years you’d serve if I called the police?”

The leader closed his eyes. “We can’t talk. We pledged loyalty to Second Master.”

Luo Xiaoxiao was speechless. “You think Second Master will protect you when you’re breaking the law?”

“Exactly!” the fool declared emphatically. “Look, when you’re under someone’s roof, you have to bow your head. What we’re doing is clearly wrong. We’re just turning over a new leaf now.”

The leader was at a loss for words, but the fool’s reasoning had swayed him.

The fool chuckled. “She gave us some drugs to have some fun with you.” As he spoke, he pulled out a bottle.

The smirk on the fool’s face told Luo Xiaoxiao he was up to no good.

The fool flung the drug at Luo Xiaoxiao, but she dodged nimbly with a quick crouch.

Unfortunately, the leader wasn’t so lucky—the powder landed right on his face.

The leader coughed twice. “You idiot! We agreed not to use this stuff!”

But they’d still brought it out.

A bad feeling settled in Luo Xiaoxiao’s chest. If she was dealing with thugs here, what about Li Fanshuang? Was she safe?

With that thought, she didn’t waste any more time on these two and sprinted toward the hotel where the press conference was being held.

But the world works in mysterious ways—in the next alley, she ran straight into Li Fanshuang.

Unlike her, however, the female lead was having a much better time, with no suspicious assailants in sight.

The two locked eyes across the narrow street and both let out a sigh of relief.

Just as Luo Xiaoxiao let her guard down completely, a gray van pulled up in front of Li Fanshuang.

Luo Xiaoxiao’s heart sank—this was their backup plan!

She lunged forward, kicked the door open, yanked the driver out, and took the wheel herself.

The kidnappers shoved Li Fanshuang into the van and slammed the door shut.

The engine roared to life.

“Go, go, go! Get us out of here!” one kidnapper yelled to the driver’s seat.

Luo Xiaoxiao floored the gas, leaving the two bewildered kidnappers behind.

“What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here? Who’s driving?!”

–

The van sped ahead. At a traffic light, Li Fanshuang climbed into the passenger seat.

She wrinkled her nose at the shabby vehicle. “What was this thing used for before? It stinks!”

Luo Xiaoxiao hummed in agreement. “Smells like beef. Probably an amateur operation.”

Li Fanshuang huffed. “You nearly gave me a heart attack not answering my calls.”

Luo Xiaoxiao gasped and pulled out her phone, seeing several missed calls. “Sorry, babe. I had it on silent during the match and forgot to turn it back on.”

“Are you okay?” Li Fanshuang asked. “Fu Xinting just came to threaten me, and I thought you might be in danger.”

Luo Xiaoxiao let out a light laugh. “I did run into some trouble, but it’s all taken care of now.”

Li Fanshuang’s expression darkened. “What happened?”

Luo Xiaoxiao recounted everything that had just occurred in detail.

Li Fanshuang’s face paled as she listened. “What kind of person is this? Did we commit some unforgivable sin?”

Luo Xiaoxiao sighed. “By the way, was that kidnapper also arranged by her?”

Li Fanshuang fell silent for a moment, unsure how to respond. If she said it was arranged by Fu Xinting, would someone as vicious as Fu really send two such incompetent fools to kidnap her? But if it wasn’t her, who else could she have offended?

Li Fanshuang shook her head. “I can’t be sure.”

Luo Xiaoxiao sighed again. “Never mind. Whatever the case, we should hurry back to the press conference.”

“Alright.”

The two drove their beat-up minivan back to the venue.

When Fu Xinting saw them, the shock in her eyes was impossible to conceal.

“You—”

Luo Xiaoxiao ignored her, pulling Li Fanshuang along to hurry to the press conference.

Fortunately, they made it at the last moment.

Li Fanshuang faced a barrage of difficult questions.

Someone asked why she wasn’t wearing her costume.

Chen Yu explained that the originally planned costume had been sent for dry cleaning after getting soaked in seafood broth a couple of days ago.

Standing at the entrance, Luo Xiaoxiao watched as the press conference proceeded smoothly, when suddenly, the familiar crackle of static buzzed in her ears again.

System: Mission… incomplete. You will be logged off soon. Find a suitable body…

Luo Xiaoxiao was puzzled. What did that mean?

Fu Xinting: How much time do I have left?

 

System: …One month.

One month? Luo Xiaoxiao seized on that detail. What would happen in that month? Would Fu Xinting die if she couldn’t find another transmigrator in time? If so, she should stock up on fireworks in advance—such good news deserved a proper celebration.

At the press conference, Li Fanshuang was bombarded with all sorts of bizarre questions. The reporters seemed utterly uninterested in “Zhi Yu Ting,” focusing instead on her personal life.

Amid the flashing cameras, one journalist stepped forward. “Best Actress Li, could you comment on the trending topic claiming you’re keeping an Alpha as your wife? Is it true?”